Blood and Roses
by PiratesGirl3
Summary: years after Vivian and Aiden leave Romania for Paris; their teenaged daughter sets out to reclaim what she had lost. but but awaits at Romania? Gabriel's twin sons who were concieved by Astrid before his death. Will they welcome vivian's daughter?
1. chapter1

_**Blood and Roses**_

_**Sequel of Blood and Chocolate**_

_/__When we are children, we believe the world is full of magic. We believe in Myths and legends, and that destiny awaits. That is the world I remember, and the one I wish I'd never known.__/_

**Paris, France. Present Day.**

"Mom! Why can't I just go out to the park for a bit of fun? I swear I am not going to attack someone! Geeze! You treat me like I am a child for goodness sake!" I briskly stormed after my mother while holding my black trench coat in the crook of my left arm.

"Ithica, you know how temperamental you get if someone looks at you the wrong way. I will not have you put us in danger for your sake of fun! Now go to your room! I will call you down when I have supper on the table." My mom ordered as she turned to face me with a stern look.

"But-"

"I said no. Now go to your room. Your father will be home shortly." I threw my hands up in the air and stormed out of the doorway of the kitchen and pushed passed my dad as he walked in the small apartment.

"I don't get a hello?" He asked me as I stomped up the stair case to go to my room.

"Go choke on supper! The both of you!" I spat down and slammed the door to my room. My dad sighed and shook his head as he set his stack of sketch books down on the living room couch.

"Vivian! What did you and Ithica get into now?" He asked as he stepped into the kitchen to end up seeing his wife taking pasta off the stove and pouring it into a colander so that the water spilled through the many small holes in the metal bowl.

"Aiden, you know as well as I do that she is unstable like Rafe was." Vivian turned off the burners on the stove and set the pasta sauce on the counter; before pouring it into a bowl to be put on the table.

"Yes I know that. But what has gotten her all upset this time? Did she get in a fight? Arrested for being a disturbance? What?"

"She wanted to go out. Aiden. It is 7:00 at night and she claims she wants to go out to the park for 5 hours! That is until midnight! Midnight! And tonight of all nights! It is going to be a full moon, Aiden. She is thinking on hunting. Did you know? She told me the other night. She is curious on what it is like to go on a hunt." Vivian put her hand on her mouth to try and hide the fact that she was upset and distraught. "You know as well as I do she has Loup-garoux blood in her. You know that some day she will want to run free, back to my people." Tears now streamed down her face as she leaned into her husband's arms.

"Vivian. Everything is all right. How about I talk to her?" Aiden whispered gently.

"I just don't want to lose her." She mumbled.

I sighed as I plopped down onto my bed. I threw my coat on the floor and began to fiddle around with my hands. I was too upset to think about anything but having a shot glass filled with Absinthe. I closed my eyes and pictured the cool green liquid being poured down my throat. I could almost taste the beverage; this made me crave it even more. I opened my eyes and looked about my room. I got to my feet and then knelt down and reached under my bed. I grasped the smooth neck of a glass bottle; I smiled and pulled it out into the open. It was a liter of Absinthe. I opened the bottle and dropped the cap on the mattress. Then I slowly put the bottle to my lips and slowly poured a mouthful of the green beverage into my mouth. Before swallowing I capped the bottle and hid it back underneath my bed. Then knowing everything was in the clear and savoring the bitter taste; I swallowed. I sighed, now satisfied for the moment; everything was put on hold when I heard footsteps coming straight for my room. I quickly got to my feet and walked over to my window and looked out; I did this whenever I knew I was going to get a lecture about spouting off at mother. But this time, the footsteps told me that dad was going to wear the pants and ring me out for talking back at mom and spouting off at him.

"Ithica? Sweety? Can I come in?" I heard the muffled voice of my dad at my bedroom door. I didn't answer. Then the sound of my door slowly swinging open came to hearing. "Ithica? Honey, what happened between you and your mother?" I heard my dad sit himself down on my bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; then I slowly opened my eyes. My reflection showed that my eyes turned yellow.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." I spoke in a hushed tone. I kept my eyes out the window and focused on the eastern-horizon that was ready to present the night moon. I could feel my heart rate increase making me work harder in order to keep my breathing under control.

"Ithica. Don't lie to me. Something went on with you and your mother. Now speak up and tell me."

"I said Nothing happened!" I slightly raised my voice to stress my point. "Now can I go out to the park for a jog?" I asked now showing my slight irritation. I turned around to face my dad with only one eye yellow and the other blue. My dad looked at me with some shock and then stood up and walked over to the doorway. "Why are you looking at me as if I am some sort of beast?" My dad didn't answer. "Are you saying that I am a beast? Huh!" I threw my hands up in the air.

"I didn't say that you were a beast-"

"Then why are you acting like you are scared of me all of a sudden?" I was now shouting and had stalked to the middle of the room.

"What is going on up here?" my mom showed up and looked at her husband and then to me. "Ithica? Darling? What is going on?"

"Ask him! He is the one acting weird here! ASK HIM!" I screamed some more while pointing at my father. Vivian stared at me with a concerned expression and then turned to her husband, Aiden.

"Aiden?" She whispered.

"Vivian. There is something different about our daughter. Can't you sense it? Look at her! Her eyes!" Aiden pointed back at me and spoke as if he was going to be late to some big event. Then I watched as my mother walked up to me and peered into my eyes as if searching for something.

"I don't - . Oh. A Loup-garoux as well." she murmured as she slowly touched her bottom lip with her index and middle fingers.

"Loup-garoux. Is that all you can say. MOTHER!" I spat. "I knew I was a Loup-garoux, ever since I was five. Where have you been?" I chuckled.

"What have you been up to?" Vivian began to sound irritated in her worried state. "You are not yourself. What have you been taking?" I didn't answer and just shrugged.

"Nothing. Nothing of any interest." I stretched my arms over my head before standing straight once more.

"Aiden." Vivian was quite short with her words at this point and needed to investigate on my on goings. I looked at my father with no interest what so ever and sighed. My father walked over to me and then walked over to my bed. I watched him with an emotionless expression; I didn't know what to think at this point. Then I watched as he bent down and looked under my bed.

"What's this?" Aiden sounded surprised as he pulled out the opened liter bottle of Absinthe. "Ithica?" He turned and showed the bottle to the both of us. I didn't answer and refused to look at my astonished mother who now stood next to my father.

"Absinthe..." Vivian whispered breathlessly. Her hands shook as she took the bottle from her husband and examined the half full glass container. "Ithica, where did you get this?" Her voice shook as if she was horrified to see the bitter liqueur. I remained silent. "Where did you get this, Ithica?" she rose her voice as if she was in a haste to get an answer.

"Why should I tell you? You never were interested in what I did before. This is no different." I growled as I spoke.

"Because this can kill you if you have too much!" My mother shouted.

"Will you can it VIVIAN! I know how to use the stuff! How would you know about Absinthe if you claimed you never had it? Huh? You had it before. Otherwise you wouldn't have known what this is!" I shouted.

"WATCH YOUR TONE WITH YOUR MOTHER!" My father shouted and slapped me across the face. My head flew to the side from the blow. I hung my head low and tried to control my temper.

"You really are stupid. Aren't you MEAT!" I lifted my head and showed that both of my eyes grew a deep yellow and looked wild. "Look at what you did!" At that moment; Aiden saw the memory of Rafe before he fought and died in Silestru Chapel in Romania flashed before his eyes. I had matched what my dead cousin's attitude toward humans.

I was locked inside my room until I would calm down; but both of my parents knew full well that it would take a long time for me to get a grip on myself. I paced back and forth from wall to wall in my room; just the thought of knowing that I was stuck here and my parents were eating a nice warm dinner made my blood boil even more. I looked at my bedroom clock; it read 11:30pm. I had to get out of my room; my yearning to hunt turned my feeling from irritation to becoming savage.

"I refuse to be leashed and caged because of you, mother." I spat out my whispered thought and grabbed my long black trench coat. Then with a quick look around my room; I grabbed all of my money that was now stuffed into my wallet and into my coat pocket. I then opened up my backpack and dumped all its contents onto my bed and began stuffing an assortment of clothes into it as well as some jewelry and a spare bottle of Absinthe that my parents failed to find. I then zipped my pack closed and slung it on my back. I held my coat in my arms and walked over to the window. "I'm bustin' outta here even if it means me dying trying." I gritted as I forced the old window open. Then with little effort I crawled out onto the porch roof. I looked around to make sure that no one I knew was going to rat out on me. I looked up at the full moon that was now high in the starless night sky and felt drawn to it. I then sucked in a deep breath and leapt down from my perch and climbed into my father's car. I locked the doors and dropped my bag on the passenger seat next to me. I looked out the tinted window of the car and saw that no one noticed that I was going to steal the car. I licked my lips and turned the key in the ignition and listened gleefully as the engine roared to life.

Just then I noticed that the front lights in my house turned on and I saw my parents looking out the window. I felt my heart stop and I watched as my father opened the front door and began to approach the car; my mind froze and I quickly looked forward and slammed the car out of park and into drive and sped off down the road. I could hear my father shouting as well as my heart rapidly beating. Now that I had escaped my parents for the meantime, I had to figure out where to go. I had to find the rest of my kind; I knew they were somewhere; otherwise I would have been a regular teenaged girl.

I sped off toward my mother's native country; Romania. Bucharest, Romania. That was South East from Paris and a long way. So I was planning on some pit-stops on the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nurnberg, Germany**

I parked the car in a parking lot that was located on the outside of a grocery store. I sighed and folded back several stray strands of hair and tucked them behind my ear. I turned the car off and looked out my window and settled my gaze on the small building which held my needed supplies. I yanked out the keys from the ignition and grabbed my trench coat and got out of the car. After locking the car; I shrugged into the heavy black coat and buttoned it up to stave off the night chill. I had driven non-stop from Paris and it took me a whole day to find my way this far. I exhaled allowing the white mist to fly away from my mouth. I walked briskly toward the entrance of the building; I opened the door and walked inside and looked around to see where I should start my search.

It was quiet inside, and there were hardly any shoppers. I scanned through the many isles and found some supplies I needed: pears, bananas, peanut butter, a loaf of bread, several bottles of soda, and a raw five pound steak. I cradled my goods in my arms and brought them to the cashier. He glanced at me and then went to work scanning the items and bagging them. He didn't say a single word throughout the whole process.

"That will be 45 deutsche." He promptly said and waited for me to give him the proper amount of money. I looked down at my pocket and reached in and pulled out some money. I handed it to him and watched silently as counted and examined the currency I had to offer. "This is the euro." He said flatly.

"That is the only money I have…"

"We don't take the euro. You don't have the deutsche; you don't get your groceries."

"But-"

"That is all miss. Now if you don't have the money then leave!" He growled. I could feel my temper growing and adrenaline racing through my veins. I tried to control my breathing and grabbed my money and shoved it back into my pocket. Then without looking up at him; I grabbed my two bags of groceries and started walking away. Before I got anywhere near the door, a hand grasped my right wrist and held onto it with an iron grip. "Hey ma'am; this does NOT belong to you! You didn't pay and now if you don't remove your grip from the bags, I will be forced to call the police." I kept my gaze on the floor and tightened my grip on the plastic grocery bags. Then before the young man could try and grab the bags out of my hands; I swung around and punched him hard in the face. On impact, he let go of my wrist and stumbled back a few paces. When he got his bearings, he looked back at me and saw that my eyes were yellow. He swallowed hard and tried to stutter out an apology. But it was too late. I dropped my bags and leapt at him; when I was in midair, I transformed into a wolf and landed a few paces away from the trembling cashier. I bared my teeth and growled low. I began to stalk toward him, as I got closer he began to back away slowly until he hit a shelf that contained candy bars. Then he stumbled and fell onto his backside. I watched silently as I steadily crept forward. Sweat beaded on his forehead; I sniffed the air inches from his face. He flinched and tried to move to the side; I saw this and growled and showed my teeth once more. He stopped what he was doing and kept still. I lowered my head and licked my lips and growled while I opened my mouth to show how serious I was about the fact of possibly killing him. "I'm sorry. You can have everything. You don't have to pay. I won't tell anyone. Just don't kill me." He stuttered. I lifted my head and closed my mouth and stared at him. I perked my ears up and titled my head to the side; as if I was considering taking his offer. I watched him as he smiled out of fear and slight relief. Then thinking of the better of the two evils; I decided not to take the chance of him calling the police if I let him live. I straightened my head; showing that I had made my decision and that it was final. I growled and peeled back my lips to show my teeth. I pressed my ears back against my head and lowered it as I stalked back and forth in front of the cashier. "What are you doing? Wait!" Then without any hesitation, I pounced and started ripping and clawing at his flesh. His screams were surprisingly music to my ears, his blood tasted rich with iron and his flesh seemed to melt in my mouth like chocolate. After a couple minutes he lay dead on the floor next to the candy shelf surrounded by a huge pool of his own blood. I licked my lips and walked away; as I did, I transformed back into my human form. I was completely naked; I looked around and found my clothes. I picked up each article of clothing one by one and dressed myself. Once I was fully clothed; I shrugged back into my trench coat and picked up my bags of groceries. Before I left I looked back at the lifeless body of the cashier. I sighed and walked over to him; I looked down at him and then reached out and grabbed a huge handful of candy bars. Then stuffed them into the plastic bags and then turned and left the building.

I unlocked my car and climbed in. I turned the key and the car once again came to life. I shifted into reverse and backed out before I shifted again into drive and sped off to continue my journey to Bucharest, Romania.

**Bucharest, Romania**

**2 days later**

"Zion. It is time to get up. Your brother is waiting for you outside at the car." Astrid whispered to her younger son. Before the death of Gabriel, she had conceived twin boys; the last of Gabriel's line since Rafe was murdered by Aiden. She had named her twin sons: Chief, being the eldest of the twins and the first to be the new leader of the pack when he and his brother become of age. Then there was Zion; the youngest of the twins, though he was younger, he seemed to take more after his father in not only appearance, but in his actions and attitude. Chief resembled more of his mother and was more lax about things unless his opinion or authority was challenged. But nonetheless, Zion seemed to be his mother's favorite, she would fuss over him more than Chief; knowing that Zion would need more guidance since he would have to learn how to be a good leader when his time came. But for now he had to stay in his brother's shadow for a time; and be a part of the pack.

Zion opened one eye and looked up at his mother; he smiled tiredly and sighed as he lifted his head off the pillow. "What time is it?" he yawned.

"8:00, honey. Chief is waiting for you. You need to go with him to the bar and discuss with each other who shall be the next human to be prey. Now hurry and get dressed." Astrid got to her feet and stroked her son's head once before leaving the room. Zion sighed and pulled the blankets off of him. He got into a sitting position and took a deep breath before exhaling. He got to his feet and walked over to his dresser, then opened a drawer and pulled out a black t-shirt. He shifted the shirt around in his hands before pulling it over his head and shrugging into it. Then he reached over to his desk chair and grabbed his pair of pants. Then he stepped into them and began to walk out of his room while fastening the button and zipping the zipper into its proper place.

Zion didn't even bother to brush his dark brown hair; it never did what he wanted it to do. His hair was very rebellious in the way that it hung about his jaw line and was wavy with some curls toward the ends. Unlike his older brother Chief; who kept his hair neater and had it cut shorter. Chief's hair color was more of a sandy color, yet it managed to appear as a shade lighter than Zion's. Before Zion left he quickly strode over to his mother and hugged her while grabbing an orange. Then he gave her a peck on the cheek and wished her farewell before jogging out the door to meet his impatient brother, who was leaning on the side of the car with his arms crossed.

"What took you so long? You can be so slow when it comes to things that I have to do for the sake of the pack." Chief hastily climbed into the car and turned it on while his brother got in the passenger seat. When both brothers were inside the car; Chief shifted the car out of park and sped off toward the bar.

"What is your problem, Chief? Just because I got up later than you and had to get some breakfast, doesn't mean I hate being a part of the pack or don't care about them. I care about the pack as much as you do." Zion said while peeling the orange. Zion then peeled the meat of the fruit a part and then began to devour the tangy citrus fruit. Secretly Zion knew that Chief was jealous of him since he was Astrid's favorite and got the most attention from the females in the pack; all of them adored him, all except Charr. She was Chief's girlfriend. She was the opposite of Chief; she constantly had a fiery disposition toward anything that she didn't seem to agree with.

"Whatever, Zion. Let's just get this done and over with for tonight." Chief stopped the car outside this huge warehouse, which was actually a huge bar that the pack mostly inhabited when night fell on the city. Both Loup-garoux brothers stepped out of the car and were greeted by their hit men. The hit men knelt down onto their knees and showed their throats out of respect. Knowing that they were the children of their long passed leader, Gabriel. Both Zion and Chief didn't react to their notion and passed by them and walked inside the huge building. There inside, Chief started a one man game of billiards, while Zion sat down at the counter and poured himself a shot glass amount of Absinthe, then set a brown sugar cube on a metal absinthe spoon and then pouring a small amount of Absinthe onto it, then struck a match and set the sugar cube on fire. Once the cube was caramelized and melted, he then dunked the still flaming Absinthe spoon in the Absinthe. Suddenly the drink ignited and without hesitation, Zion poured a small amount of cold water into the green beverage before he removed the spoon. Zion sighed as he lifted the shot glass and then poured it into his mouth; he allowed the bitter-sweet flavor to enrich his taste buds. Then he swallowed and looked over his shoulder as their hit men entered with a middle aged man in tow.

"Where are we? Why am I here! I didn't do anything to you guys! Let me go, man!" Chief straightened up and leaned on his pool stick.

"What do we have here? Is this the same piece of garbage that was messing with my girl?" Chief walked up to the group of hit men and then pointed the pool stick at the man that was in their grip.

"Huh? That was your girl? Oh man! Hey, I'm sorry for that. Just let me go, man!" The guy tried to wiggle in the iron grip of the two hit men. Chief walked up to the man and inhaled deeply through his nose; as if he had smelled something.

"Sorry. Will not cut it this time. I smell her on you. You laid your scummy hand on my girl. There is no going back now." He walked away and went to the counter where his younger twin sat, watching the whole scene play through. "He will do nicely. Take him away." Chief ordered the hit men. Chief watched silently as his men dragged the human away, until tonight's hunt.

"Didn't waste any effort on that one; eh?" Zion smiled as he prepared another round of Absinthe for himself and for his brother. Chief took the drink and lifted it toward his brother, making the silent gesture of thanks. "Mmmm…cheers." Then they both took their swigs of the drink and enjoyed the bitter-sweet taste as it flowed down their throats. Zion sighed and set his glass on the counter and looked over at his brother.

I yawned as I looked for a place to park the car for the afternoon and get some shut-eye; before going too far into the city and end up getting myself lost. I eventually pulled over into a parking spot that was located in this side alley that was placed between two apartment complexes. After turning the car off; I double checked to see that the car was locked. I sighed heavily and curled up in the driver's seat, before falling asleep.

Astrid sat comfortably in her chair reading an interesting book; it was a romance novel she had read repeatedly throughout the year. It was her favorite out of her little collection of books. About six chapters into the book; she was forced away from her book due to her growling stomach. After grabbing an orange, she picked up her book and was about to sit back in the chair when she looked out the window that was next to her. She gasped in horror as she beheld the sight of Gabriel's car parked where he normally parked it when he was here visiting. She dropped her book and leaned further into the window. She could barely see that someone was in the vehicle. Her heart seemed to stop beating; she couldn't breathe or take her eyes off the car. Was Gabriel alive? Was it Vivian? If it was Vivian, was she here to come home? With a heavy sigh, she finally pulled herself away from the window. She then quickly put on a long sweater and sprinted down the stairs to see who was in the car. She felt like she had the right to know, so she could put her soul to ease.

When she finally got outside and walked briskly toward the driver side of the car. She peered through the tinted window; she saw that there was definitely someone inside. But it was not Gabriel. She then walked to the hood of the car and leaned over the hood; she peered in through the windshield and gasped. There was a girl in the driver's seat curled up sleeping. This girl didn't look at all familiar; but yet she felt like she knew her, somehow she just knew. But how did she get a hold of Gabriel's car?

"Hey, Chief; I am going to go on home." Zion stretched his arms over his head before rising to his feet.

"Running again I am presuming?" Chief asked as he followed his brother out of the bar.

"What else? I don't wanna get involved between you and Charr; especially when you bring her over before the hunt tonight." Zion watched as his brother got into the navy blue Chevy Camaro they both owned. Chief rolled his eyes as he shut the door; and rolled down the tinted windows of the two door car.

"Just make sure you show up with me tonight for the hunt."

"You know I will. I always show. Don't worry, bro. The only one you should worry about is Charr. See ya in a bit." Zion then jogged away, heading back to their apartment to get ready for the hunt.

Astrid watched through the windshield; she stayed silent, as if she was almost afraid that I would wake. She seemed to be watching over me, as if she had to guard me from something. But she felt even more obligated about opening the car and having me live with her. She felt a strange connection to me and it was strong; as strong as if I was one of her own.

"Hey mom, why are you- … who's car is this?" Zion walked over to his mother and looked over the vehicle. Then he looked over to his mother with a worried expression. "Mom, is everything okay? Do you know whose car this belongs to?" Astrid looked away from the windshield and smiled softly.

"Zion. My son…help me get her out. She needs me… I can't explain it… but she needs to get indoors." Astrid walked back over to the driver's side door and tried the door. It was locked; she looked over to her youngest son, she felt so helpless. Zion never changed his worried expression, but sighed and grabbed a hold of the door handle; then with a quick jerk on the handle, the door came open. Then Zion bent down and leaned inside the car. He handed his mother the car keys, before he grabbed me around the shoulders to pull me out slightly so he could get a grip and lift me out of the car. Now with me in his arms, Astrid closed the car and led him inside; making sure she held every door open for him. "Here; set her in this room." Zion gently set me on the bed of an abandoned room in their apartment; it had belonged to Vivian.

"Chief! You're late!" Charr yelled as she poked her head in the Camaro before she got in.

"Sorry, babe." Chief leaned over and kissed his girlfriend tenderly. "Wanna get ready for the hunt tonight, darling?" He smiled while shifting into gear and heading back to his home to help get prepared.

"So is it the one I told you about?" Charr asked while rolling up her window. "The one who tried to take me away from the pack?"

"Yes. He will pay dearly for his crime. Like all the others before him. He will not live for very long." Chief smirked when he felt Charr lean her head on his shoulder. "It's only a matter of time. Tonight I will become the leader of the pack." With that said, the conversation was ended for the rest of the trip.

Zion walked out of his room, all clothed in black along with his ritual necklace that all of the Loup- garoux wore on the night there was a hunt. He sighed and walked down the hall to meet up with his mother and brother. On his way to the family room, he ran into Charr who was also clothed in black and bearing the same necklace. He bowed his head in a respectful welcoming gesture. From this night on, he was obligated to treat her as one of his blood and stature. He knew full well that his brother would pick her as his mate when he would become pack leader before the hunt. All the other hunts were lead by their mother since she was the closest one to their father and would give up her leadership to her eldest son tonight. Charr bowed back and walked with him to the family room where Astrid and Chief were talking.

"Ah! Zion, Charr! I am so glad you both are ready! Are we all prepared to go meet up with the pack?" Astrid smiled and walked over to greet her youngest son and soon to be daughter-in-law. She kissed them both on the cheeks and cupped their faces in her hands as she did so. "Charr, you look beautiful tonight. I pray you do well in your part, when the time comes." Astrid smiled and had to wipe away a tear that escaped her eye and slid down her cheek.

"Thank you…Mother." Charr smiled and hugged the elder female. When they parted, Astrid then walked over to Zion and looked up at him with still glossy eyes.

"Zion, you look so handsome. I pray you learn well under your brother and mind your place till it is your time to become leader of the pack." Zion smiled and wiped away his mother's tears.

"I will, Mother." Zion wrapped his arms around her and patted her back gently.

"Your father would be proud of you too; you know that don't you?" Astrid whispered.

"Yes." Zion answered quietly and allowed his mother to grip onto his shirt and cry the last of her tears. The last time she did this was the moment Gabriel told her that their son had been killed by the human, Aiden. Astrid felt safe and comforted in the arms of her youngest, like she had so long ago with Gabriel. She had lost so much throughout her life, and it was all done by the hand of man. She had lost her sister, her son Rafe, and her lover Gabriel. She had to be so protective of both Chief and Zion; she couldn't take losing another son or family member. It would hurt too much.

"I am okay." She sighed as she pulled away from Zion and wiped the last tear away. "Let's go meet the pack. I don't want to be late."

Zion parked his black motorcycle next to a stone pillar that symbolized the gateway to their scared hunting grounds. He took off his helmet and held out his hand and took his second helmet from his mother. Then with everything ready the both of them walked through the gateway to join their fellow members of the pack. Zion walked next to his mother and looked around at all of the happy faces of his fellow Loup-garpoux, he watched as the teenaged males showed off their skills to the females while the younger children pranced about and danced to the music that was being played by a small band. The elder members chatted among themselves, watching the younger ones do their business. Lastly his gaze fell upon the mothers getting after their children and teaching them some helpful life skills; this was going to be their first time joining the pack in the hunt. They wouldn't be the ones to help kill the prey of course, but this would be their first time feasting among their brethren and kin. Zion could distinctly remember his first time joining the pack to go hunt; he smiled at the memory of both him and Chief as they tried to race one another to see who could keep up with the adults and get the first taste of human flesh.

Everything suddenly became silent as the whole pack gathered to the center of the clearing and stared at the small cliff as both Charr and Chief walked to its edge. Chief looked out at the pack and then stopped his gaze on both his brother and mother; he watched as the both of them walked forward and up to where he now stood. Charr stepped back and bowed while showing her neck; the whole pack did the same before getting to their feet to watch the ceremony take place. Astrid stopped right in front of her elder son; she smiled and lifted her hands up to show him what she had. Chief looked down in her hands and beheld a new ritual necklace; it was similar to his but had more teeth on it. He watched as Zion walked up to him and lifted his necklace off of him and was replaced by Astrid placing the new ritual necklace around his neck. Then both Zion and Astrid stepped away from him and bowed low while showing their necks. The pack bowed once more and watched from their crouched positions as their new leader looked around while taking in his new responsibilities. Then without further thought; Chief stepped up to the edge and bowed back to the pack, everyone rose to their feet and kept their eyes on Chief. Chief sighed before he began his speech; "My Lords and Ladies, I am proud to be your new leader. And as your new leader, I will hold my responsibilities with respect and honor. I will promise you that we will prosper and I will ensure your safety at all times; even if it means me sacrificing my own safety to protect you all." The pack whooped with approval and delight; Astrid smiled proudly as she watched off to the side with Zion. Chief looked over his shoulder and smiled at his mother, before turning his attention back to the pack. "I am proud to announce that I have indeed made a choice on who shall be my mate; my mate shall be, Charr." The pack cheered and watched as their leader reached out to Charr; she gladly took his hand and walked up next to him. The pack grew silent and all bowed to their new leaders. "Now my Lords and Ladies, tonight we have all gathered here for one purpose, and one purpose alone. To feast on those who do nothing but threaten us with their weapons, to give us harm and bring us nothing but pain, devastation and death. We are here on this glorious night to hunt; and hunt we shall. When we live, we live as one; we die as one and we hunt as one. That is what my father had said, and my mother has taught me this rule to live by as we all do."

Chief then nodded to his hit men to come forth with the man he had chosen earlier. They brought the blindfolded man forward and dropped him on the ground. "This being before you, is man. Man has done nothing but give us all pain and death. But not on this night; for tonight we shall show man that we are the stronger species. And that we will put him in his place." Then Chief and the rest of the pack stripped themselves of their coats, shirts or outer wear; to make it easier for the hunt. Chief then leapt down from his perch and took off the man's blindfold. "There is a river in these woods. If you reach the river in time, you win your life. If not, the Loup-garoux shall take the victory of taking your life." Then with one swift move, Chief cut the man with a dagger his father had used before him. The man cried out in pain, and was set free of his bonds. Charr walked up to the man and kissed him farewell.

"Run free." She sassed, as her eyes turned yellow. The man gasped and looked around and saw that everyone around him had yellow eyes as well. The smell of blood hung in the air from the wound. The Loup-garoux held themselves back from attacking the human and parted a path way that lead to the forest. As the man walked down the path and watched them with fear; they kept their eyes on him and steadily drove him into the forest. When he got into the forest, he broke out into a run; everyone stayed in the clearing and waited a while to give their human prey a good running start. Chief and Charr walked in front of the group and stared at where the man had disappeared into the darkness. Both kept their eyes forward as did the pack; it was now time. Chief slowly walked into the forest with Charr at his side; the rest of the pack followed closely. Soon, their walking turned into trotting then into a full blown run. They could easily find the human by the scent trail of his blood. The scent was so intoxicating that all they knew was that they wanted to taste it and feed. The pack fanned out and ran as fast as they could; but then they couldn't hold off and gave in to their wolf instincts and transformed from human to wolf.

Their chase ended when they caught up to the man; the first wolf that had cut the human off from his escape was Chief, he growled low and bared his teeth. Some of the other wolves surrounded the man, all growling and showing their teeth. Chief snapped his jaws and licked his lips, then without hesitation leapt onto the man and began tearing into him. Suddenly the others began to join in as well as the newer arrivals on the scene. The only ones that stood by were the young mothers and their charges or children that had come for their first hunting experience. Within a few minutes, the man was dead and everyone was feasting on his flesh. The hunt was now complete; the pack and their leaders rejoiced their successful night with a musical chorus of howls.

Slowly everyone walked throughout the forest while clothing themselves as they made their way back to their cars and outerwear that was left back at the clearing. Zion waited outside the forest, waiting for his mother to appear. He was one of the last ones out of the forest; he knew full well that his brother and new mate wouldn't be joining the pack on their way home tonight. He smiled when Astrid came out and handed her, her coat; she smiled and thanked him as she wrapped herself in it and followed him to his motorcycle.

Tonight was not only a memorable night for the pack having a new leader, but will be for both Chief and Charr. Astrid knew that there was a possibility that a new member might be brought into this world soon and it would be created tonight if all went well. As they rode home, Astrid was quiet and couldn't help the many thoughts racing through her mind. It was 20 years ago tonight that she had given birth to both Chief and Zion and it was not only her happiest night, but the saddest since her lover, Gabriel, wasn't there to share it with her. She sighed as she got off her son's bike and handed him the spare helmet. The both of them were silent as they walked inside the small apartment and made themselves comfortable in the family room.

Astrid couldn't keep still and walked into the kitchen to get a drink for both her and Zion. When she came back into the family room; she saw Zion staring out the window. He was expressionless and seemed to be elsewhere than in his own body. The both of them knew that come tomorrow, Chief would move out to a place of his own and no longer live with his mother and brother. Astrid walked up to Zion and placed a hand on his shoulder; he snapped out of his trance and smiled up at her. She mirrored his smile and handed him a bottle of water. He took it gratefully and opened it. Astrid sighed and walked out of the family room and down the hall to the room where I was kept. She opened the door quietly and peered into the room; I was still fast asleep, dreaming of a place no one knew but me. Astrid looked down at the floor and then back at me, before she entered the room and sat at the edge of the bed. She watched me sleep peacefully and lifted her hand and then lowered it on my head and began to gently stroke my hair.

Zion got to his feet and walked down the hall to go into his room when he stopped halfway, and looked at his mother stroking the hair of the girl that she had found and brought into their home. He wondered what was so significant about this girl that his mother felt obligated into taking this girl into their home. Zion drank from the plastic bottle and then capped it before leaving his mother alone and went to his room for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke to the smell of eggs being cooked with sausage. I blinked and looked around, only to find that I wasn't in my car but in someone's bedroom. I sat up and stretched, a yawn escaped my mouth as I tried to wake myself up. _How long was I asleep?_ I thought, _and where the heck am I?_ I saw that it was a simple room with nothing but a dresser, bed and desk. Otherwise it was empty; it must have been a spare bedroom that no one inhabited yet. I crawled out of bed and made my way to the door; I opened it slowly and peered out into the hall. No one was in sight, but there was definitely someone home. I slowly walked into the hall and followed my nose to where I believed the kitchen was located. With each step that I took; the closer I seemed to get to the kitchen, I could hear someone bustling about and pretty soon I could hear a conversation taking place.

"Do you honestly think she belongs with us?" I heard a guy ask.

"I do. I am positive; I have this feeling that she is one of us." a woman answered.

"Well, if you're certain-" the guy cut off his sentence; I heard a chair being pushed. I froze and held my breath. I could feel a presence behind me, I went to turn around; but was stopped when a pair of strong hands grabbed me around my waist and covered my mouth. "Gotcha!" I was then dragged backwards by my capturer into the dining room. I kept thrashing and trying to scream; but he held me tight against his body and my screams were muffled by his hand. "Hey mother, look who finally decided to join us!" the man called. I heard quick footsteps as a middle aged woman entered the room. I glanced at her and tried to wiggle some more. She seemed to be transfixed by the sight of me, but quickly snapped out of it.

"Zion. Please release her!" I felt the man's hands release me; I gasped silently as I was able to breathe easier. "Come my dear. You must be starving." The woman smiled. I hesitated for a moment; I was feeling a bit uneasy about this place. "It's okay. We are here to help you." I held my breath as I slowly approached her and allowed her to lead me to the dining table where there was food set out.

I sat at the table with an emptied plate; I licked my lips with the satisfaction of a full belly. I had eaten my meal quickly and was eagerly waiting for more. I had learned some information about the people who had helped me. The woman was named Astrid and the man was her 20 year old son, Zion. Apparently he is the younger of twins; but the older one was nowhere to be seen.

"So, how old are you, my dear?" Astrid asked while setting a plate of short stacks at my spot. I dug into my second helping of breakfast and looked up at her. I swallowed and looked at Zion who was silently watching me from the other side of the table.

"I'm 19. Why?" I looked back at Astrid who was now sitting next to me. I didn't dare eat anymore food on account of both Astrid and Zion staring at me with some interest. "What?"

"Nothing. You just look younger than that. I remember-" All conversation was lost due to someone entering the room; I looked at both Astrid and Zion as they kept their gaze on whoever was standing behind me.

"Who's this?" I heard a deep voice boom behind me. "Why is she here?" I could sense great tension in the room. I looked over at Zion who stood up from his seat and took a deep breath before he spoke up.

"Is that a way to greet your family, Chief?" _So this is Zion's older brother…_ I thought to myself. Zion walked around the table and stopped right next to me and kept his gaze on his brother. Chief was standing directly behind me and faced his brother with great irritation.

"I'll ask again, brother. Who is she and why is she here!" Chief spoke louder; I looked at Astrid, who kept her gaze on the table, she seemed slightly afraid of her oldest son's anger.

"What does it matter to you? You no longer live with us, remember? You have moved out this morning." Zion interjected while inching closer to me; I could feel my heart race with anticipation on a fight brewing.

"She needs to leave this place. Better yet; leave the city." Chief growled as he leaned down and looked at my face. I glanced at him with no expression; he sneered as he stood back to his full height to face his brother. "And I will trust you make sure of that, brother." Chief started to walk out of the room, when his brother spoke up once more.

"She's not going anywhere, Chief." Zion stood directly behind me to block his brother's view of me at the table. Astrid stood to stop her youngest, but it was too late. Chief turned around and looked at his brother with a threatening glare.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me and I don't care if you are older and -" Zion was cut off by his brother's punch in the face. Zion stumbled back and slumped on me. I froze and dared not move, I was almost afraid to have him end up touching me in places he shouldn't, even if it was by accident. Zion got up and looked at his brother with a new kind of hate. He had always hated his brother out of pure sibling rivalry; but this time it was different. He knew his mother wanted to care for this girl and he would make sure that his mother would have her way. "You should have NEVER became leader!" Zion growled as he pushed his brother away and wiped a spot of blood away from his lip. He looked at the small red spot on his hand before looking back at his brother with yellow eyes.

"Don't test me…" Chief's eyes turned yellow as he went to advance another attack on his younger brother. Zion dodged Chief's swing and kicked him square in the stomach; Chief flew back into the hallway and landed against the wall. Astrid yelled for the boys to stop the fight and apologize, but no one would listen. "Are you challenging my leadership?" Chief growled low so that only the two of them could hear their conversation.

"Maybe…maybe not. Hard to tell, since this is your first day as leader. But remember this, brother; I will be watching you VERY closely. If there is one mistake, reckless or not, I WILL be challenging. Even if I have to battle my way through your men. I will see to the pack; if you give me reason to remotely question your authority." Zion hissed in his brother's ear. Then Zion pushed his brother down the hall, "Now, Get out of our house." Zion glared and watched as Chief stalked out of the apartment.

Zion sighed heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck; he walked back over to the table in the kitchen and sat heavily on his chair. Astrid slowly walked up to him and set her hands on his shoulders. "Why did you do that? Stand up to your brother?" she whispered.

"Because you want this girl to stay with us and I will not stand off to the side and watch my brother harass my mother and tell her what to do. Plus I see now what you mean about this girl needing to stay with us." Zion looked at me and smiled. "I feel it too." I swallowed hard and tried to control my knees from knocking against one another.

Zion stretched his arms over his head while he walked to the living room where he found his mother sitting reading a book with their guest. At the feeling of his presence, both Astrid and I looked up at him. He smiled and walked up to the nearest chair and rested his arms on the back of it. "Is it all right mom if I bring her to the bar?" Zion asked. Astrid smiled and looked at me for my opinion.

"It's okay with me, what do you think dear?" I looked at Astrid with some shock. I hardly knew these people and have stayed with them only for a week. Out of the two of them, I seemed to feel most comfortable with Astrid. I looked back at Zion who was looking at me and waiting for an answer. I sighed heavily while closing my book and nodded.

"I guess I could go for a while." I forced a smile; I really didn't want to go with Zion, but I felt obligated on pleasing the both of them. Besides, I thought it wouldn't hurt and be some form of payback for what he had done. He didn't have to stand up to his brother, or allow me to stay with them. Over the week of me staying with them, I had learned so much about them and their heritage. I even secretly found out that they were Loup-garoux as well. "I'll quick change into something else. I'll be quick." I got to my feet and walked into what was now my own room. Astrid had 'adopted' me into her family and even bought me all the clothes I needed.

I opened my closet and looked over what it had to offer me for the night. I soon ended up putting on a knee length, strapless, black dress with slits on both sides of the skirt. I sighed as I tied it in the back and put on a pair of black earth sandals. I never was big on footwear. Then with one last look in my mirror; I walked out of my room and met Zion back in the living room. I also had a black bandanna tied around my head to act as a headband. The only jewelry I wore was an iron ring on my left middle finger in the shape of a wolf's head. When I re-entered the living room; everything was silent and I couldn't help but blush slightly at the fact that both Astrid and Zion were gaping at me.

"You look great." Zion breathed out, as he attempted to snap out of his trance.

"Um…thanks." I tried not to whisper my reply, out of fear of sounding like a childish school girl on her first date. Come to think of it, this was going to be like a date and it also was going to be my first one. I could feel my insides twist and cramp up with nervousness. My mind was racing with ideas on how to make any type of excuse on chickening out on going out with Zion; but I was too nervous to even croak out a word.

"Well, we will be home by 1 to 2ish. Okay mom." Zion smiled as he shrugged into his black leather coat.

"Sure thing. Hope you both have fun!" Astrid waved as the both of us walked out. I was wearing my black trench coat and was grateful that it was covering more of my body than what the dress was covering underneath. We walked the entire way to the bar and our conversations were limited to only a couple words or statements.

"By the way, what is your name?" Zion asked as we walked by a fountain; a cool autumn breeze whisked through causing our hair to fly.

"My name?" I asked, almost dumbfounded by the simple question. I had almost forgot that I never told them my name. It kind of made me uneasy with Zion asking all this stuff from me as if he was a good friend; he seemed so casual and at ease with me and wasn't afraid of asking certain questions without any signs of hesitation. I looked up at him and saw that he was watching me as we walked further down the sidewalk.

"Yes. You have been with us for about a week now, and neither my mother or I know your name. You know ours along with some other information…I would like it a lot if you told me your name." he smiled down at me; and I could feel my chest ache.

I swallowed hard and looked ahead as if trying to avoid his watchful gaze. "My name is Ithica. Is there anything else you would like to know?" I looked back at Zion who was staring at his feet momentarily before looking back up at the way ahead.

"So…Ithica; that is a pretty name." he chuckled to himself and looked over at me with his eyes beaming like when a child opens their first present on Christmas day and finds their toy they always wanted.

"What?" I couldn't help but allow the question to slip out of my mouth.

"Nothing. Where are you from?" he looked back ahead and directed us around a corner to steer us directly to the bar.

"Paris." I answered flatly.

"France?"

"No, Spain. Of course France!" I smiled and chuckled at my comeback. I quickly gasped and straightened my expression out of embarrassment. I had never allowed myself to smile or laugh with anyone else; it felt kind of odd and yet good, but I was scared and nervous on what could occur if I allowed my guard down too easily. I mentally slapped myself for letting myself get so distracted.

"No, it's okay. I like your smile; you are allowed to show it you know." I looked away and sighed, "Ah! Here we are! We're here!" Zion chirped as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to a lever in a small alley and pulled it down; triggering a hidden door to open which lead into the bar. I gaped slightly at the sight of the bar and crowed dance floor. Zion lead me over to a booth where he plopped down in a seat and watched as I sat across him. I looked across the room to see a girl singing this song which I had to guess that the title of the song was 'let yourself go wild'. The song was so hypnotic that I felt my conscious mind slip away to only have something else awake in my mind. Zion shrugged out of his jacket and stretched his arms over his head. He was dressed in his clothes that he normally wore to the hunts, which consisted of nothing but black; the only thing he lacked was the ritual necklace. "Would you like to dance?" Zion asked as he leaned on the table and smiled at me. My head snapped back toward his direction and my eyes widened with surprise.

"Umm… I guess I could try." I stuttered.

"You don't know how to dance?" all I could do was blush to his surprised question. "Here, I'll show you how. C'mon, let's go!" Zion got up and held out his hand. I looked at it and sighed as I got to my feet and shrugged out of my trench coat and took his hand. I felt so naked without my coat; I was starting to wonder why I allowed Astrid to talk me into buying this sad thing that was a dress. It was far too short to be considered one; I personally thought. As much as I tried, I could not help the panicked thoughts about my appearance race through my mind. Zion came to a halt in the middle of the dance floor and turned to face me. I swallowed and almost choked; I felt so scared and for what? Not knowing how to dance.

"I…I don't think I can do this." I stammered out.

"Sure you can. Here, let me show you how it is done. But, uh…I need to use my hands to help guide you through it though. You know what I mean?" Zion nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"O-okay." I stuttered and nodded.

"Okay. Just remember that I am teaching you dance moves, while I dance; okay?"

"Sure…whatever you say." I took a shaky breath as I watched Zion show me how to move my body to the rhythm of the music and to his movements. As the music played on, I seemed to have been a little too nervous; since my body seemed to act clumsy. I blushed slightly as Zion stood behind me and put his hands on my hips and rolled them while rocking them to the proper beat. I could feel him dance behind me as he directed my body with his. _Oh god! Why am I feeling like this! He is just helping me with dance moves, yet I feel like there is more to it than some moves on the dance floor._

"You seem a bit jittery." Zion whispered in my ear. I could feel my temperature rise and gather in my face. I felt one of his hands move to my torso and press me closer to him. _Oh man, I wanna die!_ I screamed in my head. Just then, Zion looked over toward the bar and saw his older brother. He stopped dancing and stood still and tall. I looked up at him with a different kind of fear now. Something must have gone wrong to have him stop dead. _Was my dancing that bad?_ Then I looked at the direction in where he was looking and saw Chief talking to some of his men. "I'll be back in a minute. You stay here." Zion walked through the crowd toward his brother, leaving me alone in a sea of dancing people.

"Well hello there. Haven't seen you here before." I heard a woman speak behind me. I whipped around with surprise, to see a young woman about my age with long brown hair; she stood with her hands on her hips and awaited my explanation. "What's your name?" she asked and crossed her arms. I blinked and looked around before returning my gaze back to her. "Yeah; I am talking to you, shrimp!" She pushed me, causing me to stumble back a few paces.

"So how is the leader of the pack tonight?" Zion leaned up against the counter next to his brother. "Tender! A round of Absinthe!" Zion then looked over at his brother who had stopped talking to his men and glared back.

"What do you want, brother? Don't you have some flirting to do or something?" Chief sighed as he took his glass of Absinthe. The hit men laughed at the small joke while watching their leader tease his brother.

"Now is that a way to greet your loving younger brother, Chief? Surely mother has taught you the proper way to greet me."

"Just tell me what you want before I rip you apart." Chief slammed his drink on the counter and faced Zion.

"Now why would I have a reason to come over and say hi?" Zion took up his glass and drank his swig of Absinthe. Chief growled low in his throat, warning his brother that he was in no mood for jokes; and still didn't forgive him or his actions earlier that week. "By the way brother, how come you are here tonight? Shouldn't you be with Charr?" Suddenly, the music stopped playing due to me flying into the drummer on stage. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to see the fight that had started in the middle of the dance floor which was now going to be on the stage. I got to my feet and bared my teeth and growled when Charr leaped onto the stage and stormed toward me. Zion and Chief looked to see what was happening and were stunned at what they saw. I tussled with Charr and we both stumbled and fell onto the stage due to the cords lying around. I rolled on top of her and shook her head by her long brown hair. She screamed and clawed at my arms. Chief ran through the crowd followed by Zion; they were intending on stopping the fight for two different reasons. I was suddenly tackled off of Charr and crashed against the far wall at the back of the open stage. I was stunned and had the wind knocked out of me; I tried to breathe and get control of my eye sight. I blinked and saw that I was not being held down by Zion; but by Chief. Zion reached Chief and slung his older brother off of me.

"WHAT IS SHE STILL DOING HERE?" Chief bellowed as he tried to get at me. Zion blocked each and every move; to help give me time to recuperate.

"Why does she seem to be such a threat to you?" Zion grabbed his brother by the shoulders and looked into his eyes and waited an answer.

"Get her out of here if you do not wish her or anyone else to get hurt." Chief growled and pushed his brother away. "Make your decisions a bit wiser. Because next time I won't be so rational. Now get out." Chief then turned and grabbed Charr and led her away and they disappeared into the crowd. Zion turned around and helped me to my feet, and then we walked through the crowd. We put our coats on and then left the bar and headed back to our home.

"Are you all right?" Zion knelt down in front of me. He had insisted on me sitting down on a park bench so he could inspect the wounds I earned in the tussle.

"I'm fine." I gasped slightly when he poked a blood blister that had formed on the side of my right ankle. I had earned several bruises and small cuts; but nothing bad or anything that could do extensive damage.

"I am so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you to the bar. After what had happened…. I am just so sorry." Zion put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. I looked down at him and felt my heart break.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You helped me yet again. I owe you." I chuckled softly in an attempt to lighten the mood. I swallowed hard at the feeling of being lost in this situation. I laid my hand on his shoulder; when Zion looked up at me with a hurt expression, my heart seemed to have had stop beating. "I don't blame you." I choked out. Zion tried to reply, but was at a loss for words.

"Can I … Can I carry you home? I would feel better if I did." Zion asked as he looked in my eyes. I smiled tiredly and nodded.

"Sure. I am tired anyway." The both of us chuckled at the simple hinting joke. Zion got to his feet and scooped me into his arms and walked solemnly back to the apartment.

"Welcome back…Oh my god!" Astrid shrieked as she put her hands to her mouth. She watched as Zion walked into the apartment holding me. I was fast asleep in his arms; it had been a long walk and I was drowsy and had slipped into dream half way back. I didn't flinch when he had put me down on the sofa. He sighed as he plopped down in a recliner that stood next to the sofa. "What happened?" Astrid gasped as she went over to me and looked me over before settling her gaze on her son.

"Charr." Zion breathed out as he tried to gather himself from the journey. "Apparently someone is not happy to see a new comer, besides Chief. I actually found out what has been causing the harshness with the family." Zion looked up at his mother.

"Is it?" Astrid gasped.

"Yes. Charr is pregnant."


	4. Chapter 4

I woke the next morning with a throbbing headache. I winched as I sat up on the sofa; I slowly looked around so that my head didn't spin from the pain. I saw that Zion was sprawled out asleep on the recliner next to the sofa; he slightly flinched as he slept. I would have smiled, but it hurt to do much of anything. I quickly turned my head at the sound of footsteps entering the room; I groaned and fell back onto the sofa and held my head. I saw black spots and felt like the world was spinning a million miles an hour.

"I see you are awake; are you all right, honey?" Astrid asked as she knelt down in front of the sofa. I blinked to regain my vision.

"Yeah. I'll be fine when the place stops spinning." I grumbled as I slowly breathed in through my nose and out of my mouth. "I feel like I got hit by a truck!"

"You worried the both of us. Zion stayed awake all night; making sure you would be alright. By the way, since you will be staying with us; I got you a job at a chocolate shop. Your first day is tomorrow. So let's get you back on your feet by then." Astrid stroked my head and left to go into the kitchen to fetch me something to eat.

After eating a small salad and some bread, I was able to stay in a sitting position without feeling like the world was going to throw me out into orbit with the stars. Zion had soon woke to the sound of someone outside parking their car.

**The Next Day**

The next morning, Astrid escorted me to the chocolate shop in which I would be working in. The owner was an elderly woman who spoke very little English; but she helped me get to work and told me what to do and what was expected of me. Astrid bid me a good day and left me to my work for the day.

The entire day was spent making chocolates, putting them on display, selling them and learning my chocolate delivery route. By the time it was closing, I had learned everything I needed to know and was exhausted. I was grateful to see that Zion decided to be the one to walk me home.

"How was your day?"Zion asked as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Exhausting, since my head is still a bit sore. But I think I will get the hang of everything and when I get better; might enjoy the job." I smirked and rolled up my hoodie sleeves. I looked over at Zion and noticed that he was wearing all black and with a certain necklace; curiosity overruled my mind and I had to ask the question. "What's the occasion?" Zion looked over at me and then down at his clothes. He sighed heavily before answering.

"Oh. Umm…my mother and I are going out for the night. I wish you could come but you need to stay home and rest for work tomorrow." Zion couldn't bring himself to look me in the eye. "But I promise you will be safe alone at the apartment. Chief will not harm you while we are gone." I didn't respond to his comment; and for the rest of our journey, was filled with nothing but silence.

"We will be back in a couple hours. If you are hungry there are some leftovers in the fridge; or you can make something. Whatever you wish. Just promise me that you will not go outside tonight." Astrid held my hands while looking at me in the eye. I sighed and nodded solemnly while glancing at the floor like I was a little girl who was in trouble. Astrid smiled and kissed me on the forehead, before she got her coat and left with Zion.

I looked around before plopping myself down on the couch and flipping through a book that was lying on the coffee table that stood in front of it. After about 200 pages into the book; I glanced at the clock and saw that it was midnight. I was still alone in the small apartment and sighed out of boredom. I sat up and stretched my arms over my head. I froze when I heard my stomach growl out of hunger. I sat still, puzzled by the fact that I was hungry at this time of night. I looked out the window and saw that it was a full moon; I cringed when my stomach complained once more, letting me know that I needed to be fed. I got to my feet and walked into the kitchen. I shielded my eyes from the bright light when I opened the refrigerator. I blinked once more to get used to the new lighting before I began rummaging through and not really finding anything to my fancy. I stood up and sighed helplessly as I glanced back inside the fridge; I reached inside and grabbed a package of rare ground beef before closing the door. I walked back inside the living room and plopped back down on the couch. I opened the plastic packaging and grabbed a gob of the ground up meat and stuffed it inside my mouth before grabbing my book once more. Once in a while I would stuff my mouth full of the uncooked, bloody meat while not taking my eyes off of the book. After eating half of the container of raw beef, I noticeably began to grimace and make a disgusted face, with every mouthful of the meat. The taste of the raw meat wasn't satisfying my deep hunger for flesh. No matter how I tried to convince myself that it was better than what I was craving; my instincts won in the end. I got to my feet and grabbed my coat. I was going outside, despite the fact that I had promised Astrid that I would stay inside no matter what. I stormed out of the building and began to jog down the sidewalk; not knowing where my feet were going to take me.

Zion watched his older brother with hatred in his eyes. Chief was making his speech before starting the hunt. Zion could tell that his brother was going to make this certain hunt a little different this time, and it felt like it wasn't going to be for the better. But the biggest change there was the appearance of Charr; she had given birth to a healthy baby boy and was standing in the group of newer mothers and the baby sitters. Since the last hunt, the pack had gotten bigger by a dozen members and Zion knew that one human wasn't going to make a decent feast for the pack; because of its sheer size in members. That was the main reason on why Zion was in a bitter mood, the other was on how Chief was now treating the pack. Instead of treating them as equals or with some respect, he was treating them as slaves. He watched as Chief jumped down from his perch and strode over to where his hit men stalked into the clearing with two human men in tow. Zion lowered his head when his mother glanced over at him. He knew he would have to hold himself back until the right moment. He took off his coat and shirt like the rest of the pack began to do the same. The hunt was now going to begin.

I began to quicken my pace as I began to exit the safety of the town. I grew eager and followed nothing more than the ever going scent of fear that wafted through the night air. For the very first time I was now experiencing a thirst for blood; human blood and my thirst now demanded to be quenched no matter how I do it.

The entire pack now grew anxious waiting for Chief to allow them to chase after their prey that attempted to flee for their lives. Zion had more than his empty stomach on his mind, he stared at his elder brother with aggravation on why he was not allowing his pack members to go and sate their hunger. Chief just stood at the front of the pack and watched patiently into the forest. Zion had just about enough of Chief's games and bolted out of the group and ran toward the forest. He didn't make it very far, due to Chief slamming him into the ground. Zion cried out and grabbed at his brother. Astrid ran through the pack trying to stop the fight that was starting to occur. When she got to her sons, Chief was starting to strangle his younger sibling. Astrid grabbed her eldest son while screaming for him to stop. It took several tries till she got him off of Zion. Zion coughed as he sat up; Astrid stood in front of him shielding him while he recovered from the attack. Chief signaled for the pack to go start the hunt, as the pack headed deep into the forest; Chief walked in front of his mother and look over her shoulder. "Don't interfere again brother, or next time, I won't stop till your dead!" Then he looked into his mother's eyes before stalking into the forest to join the pack. Astrid helped her son to his feet and they slowly jogged into the forest to join the feast that was soon going to begin.

I was now running as fast as my feet could carry me; I panted loudly as I made my way down the dirt road I had entered miles ago. I now could smell the stench of blood, fresh spilled blood. I jumped over the edge of the road and transformed into a white wolf. I landed lightly onto the ground and lifted my head. I sniffed the air trying to determine the location on where the scent was coming from. I soon got my answer and began running once more to where the flesh of a human being was waiting for me to satisfy my hunger. Within minutes I was just outside the spot where my food awaited me. But I wasn't alone; I could smell a huge pack of other wolves just ahead. By the sounds of them eating their fill, I was hopelessly out numbered. On a normal situation I probably would have turned around and headed back; but I was too drawn in by the scent of blood that I was about to try anything to get my own share. I crested the small hill I had climbed and was greeted by the sight of a pack of about roughly 45 wolves. I stood still while panting from over exerting myself. I looked about the pack to see if I could sneak in to get a share of food. I thought about the idea of crawling in, but thought it would be too obvious and I would be spotted easily; so I straightened out my stance and began to prance right into the pack as if I was one of them, but was late to the dinning occasion. Unfortunately, as soon as I got near a piece of flesh, I was chased away by a hungry mother wolf. That in turn attracted more attention and shortly I was being pushed and chased about by more and more members of the pack. While trying to escape, I was then tackled by a large grey wolf, whom was the alpha male of the pack. The large wolf growled low while bearing his fangs; I laid still while growling back while trying not to bear my teeth in return. For some odd reason this wolf smelled familiar; he smelled just like Zion's older brother, Chief. I was proved right when Chief flattened his ears and lowered his head mere inches from my face. Suddenly without warning, Chief grabbed a hold of my neck. I yelped loudly as I tried to squirm away. The whole pack was in an uproar as the barked, howled and snapped at me as their leader began to suffocate me. Zion, a semi-black wolf (like his father before him) pushed to the front of the action to see what was causing this odd frenzy. His yellow eyes beheld his brother over a young white wolf that must have strayed into the pack. There was blood now being drawn and began to stain the white fur of the mysterious wolf.

The stranger smelled familiar, very familiar. Zion then saw who the strange wolf was; it was Ithica! He growled and ran right into the bloodshed. He tackled his brother off of me and stood over me while not taking his eyes off of his brother. Astrid, a grey and brown wolf pushed to the front of the group and stopped when she saw the horrific scene of Zion challenging Chief in front of the pack. Astrid lowered herself and crept to the strange wolf that was under Zion. She sniffed the wounded wolf's cheek and realized it was me. Chief suddenly charged at his mother and chased her back into the pack. Zion snapped at his brother's hind quarters as if he was telling Chief to leave her out of this. Chief snarled as he pulled back his lips revealing his fangs once more. Zion lowered his head and bared his fangs in return. Zion stood firm always keeping his gaze on his brother. Chief paced while growling; he refused to break his stare as he planned his attack. Astrid walked at the edge of the small circle with her ears down; she was at a loss and could do nothing about the situation. When she was behind Zion, she once again got on her belly and crawled toward me. When she got close enough to me, she sniffed my nose and nudged my muzzle with hers. Chief growled louder and licked his lips while pacing faster. Zion sneezed and licked his lips while still baring his fangs. Astrid whined a plea for everything to stop, but it was no use. Suddenly Chief made his move; he ran at his brother and jumped. Zion jumped to his hind feet and knocked his brother down. Chief landed on the ground, but not for long; right before Zion was back on all four paws, Chief pushed from the ground and snatched his younger brother's left front leg in his mouth. Zion howled and screamed as his older brother bit down harder and thrashed his leg about till Zion was forced down to the ground. Zion grabbed a hold of Chief's scruff and bit down hard while scratching his brother's face with his hind feet. Everyone in the pack was silent as they watched their leader and his brother fight. Astrid tried to help me to my feet but was too late. Chief noticed her and released his grip on Zion. He growled and barked a warning to Astrid, but she didn't seem to notice. He then charged her, growling and baring his teeth ready to attack. Zion forced himself up and ran after his brother with everything he had left in him. Astrid looked up and saw Chief seconds away from her. She cringed and lowered herself onto her stomach with her ears down as she whined. Before Chief had a chance at touching her with his fangs, Zion jumped in front of his mother and took the attack full force. Zion screamed loudly as his brother grabbed a hold of his back, right between his shoulders. Blood seeped through Zion's wounds and slowly ran down onto the ground. He wriggled as much as he could and after a short time he finally got loose from his brother's grasp. He reared up and smacked his brother in the face. Chief went to attack once more but was too slow. Zion grabbed his brother's scruff firmly in his mouth and pulled hard enough to slam the elder wolf to the ground. Chief landed with a loud yelp. No matter how much he wiggled; he couldn't release himself from his brother's grasp. Zion growled as he pulled his brother's scruff harder while standing on the elder wolf's side. Ever so slightly a small stream of blood began to appear on Chief's neck. Zion refused to release or ease up on his grasp and allowed himself to draw more blood from his brother. Before Zion could do anymore damage, two of Chief's henchmen who were smaller wolves jumped in and pushed Zion off of their pack leader and held him at bay, while Chief got to his feet. Zion panted as he stood before the three wolves, waiting and anticipating another attack. But nothing happened. Chief snarled once before he ushered the rest of the pack away. The hunt was over and there was nothing more to see or do, but to go home.

Zion, Astrid and I were left alone in the clearing. Astrid slowly walked over to her son and sniffed the side of his muzzle with her ears still down with sadness and worry. Zion sniffed her muzzle back before returning his watchful gaze back to where Chief had disappeared with the pack. His ears were perked forward as if he was listening for someone to come back. With the assurance that no one was returning to the scene, Zion turned to still see me lying on the ground motionless. He then looked back at his mother and grunted; she nuzzled his neck briefly before trotting back to gather her clothes back at the ceremonial gathering area before the hunt. Zion turned to me and slowly began to walk to my side. I sighed helplessly as he stopped and sat down next to me. I couldn't seem to meet his gaze, Zion grunted softly trying to get me to look up at him; but I refused to look at him. I was ashamed at how I acted by walking right into a death trap like that and then having someone fight my own fight. Zion tried everything to have me look at him, but nothing would work. He looked over his shoulder when he heard someone approaching the clearing. He lightly thumped his tail seeing that it was his mother walking in carrying his clothes in her arms. Astrid dropped the black clothing next to a tree before walking back to my side. Zion looked back down at me before rising and trotting toward the pile of his clothes. I closed my eyes as Zion walked behind a tree and reappeared as a human when he got to the other side. He sighed as he reached down and picked up his pants; when he was done putting them on, he grabbed his shirt and walked back over to me. He knelt down and stroked my head gently. I whined softly from the slight attention. I burrowed my nose under Astrid's knee, trying to hide my face. Astrid stroked my head in reassurance and looked at Zion with tears in her eyes. Zion looked back down at me and saw me slowly change back into my human form.

Blood pooled and spilled from the back of my neck, the crimson fluid flowed down my back and over my shoulders onto my chest and mixing itself in the dirt. I curled up into a fetal position, trying to cover myself from Zion. Without a word spoken, Zion draped his open shirt over my torso. Astrid brushed my hair out of my eyes and gathered it into a bunch off to the side away from my wound. I cried softly as both Zion and Astrid inspected the wound; it was clean but since it was open to the air, I was highly prone to getting a bad infection and possibly dying since we couldn't go to a hospital to get it treated. Zion then gathered me into his arms and got to his feet. Astrid stood up and followed him out of the forest. She helped him get me into her black car, before speeding back to their apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Zion set me down carefully onto the couch before stepping away to allow his mother to try and treat my wounds. He watched silently as Astrid cleaned my wounds with a highly concentrated rubbing alcohol. I cried and gritted my teeth while wiggling away from her. Cleaning the wound hurt too much to bear. Zion quietly walked over to me and grabbed a hold of me by my shoulders and held me down on the couch while pinning my legs with his. Astrid continued cleaning my wound on the back of my neck and the top of my shoulders; my cries were muffled due to the fact my head was pressed into the couch cushions. Zion sighed silently waiting for his mother to finish doctoring me up so he could get off of me. He couldn't bear to meet his mother's eyes when she would try to get his attention. After a couple of minutes, I was finished and was released from Zion's weight. The instant I was free, I ran off of the couch, down the hall and into my room. I was still only clothed in Zion's black dress shirt. I slammed the door shut and hid myself in the far corner of the room; and eventually fell asleep there.

Zion sat down at the kitchen table; he was sitting in his chair with the back of the chair in front of him. He leaned on it allowing his mother to tend to his wounds. He didn't flinch when he felt the burning of the rubbing alcohol cleaning his wounds that covered his back and arm. His mind was set on one thing and one thing only, stripping Chief of his leadership.

"I wonder why Ithica didn't tell us that she was a Loup-garoux." Astrid broke the tense silence that hung throughout the apartment. Zion put his head down and buried it in the crook of his uninjured arm that was resting on the top of the chair he was sitting in. Astrid finished wrapping his wounds with gauze and stood up from her bent position. "Zion are you going to be okay?" she stroked his hair as she looked down at her son. Zion looked up at his mother with a tired expression and nodded solemnly.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He got to his feet and walked to his room without another word spoken. Astrid sat down at the kitchen table and leaned on the table top. She rested her head on her hand and silently wept out of frustration and confusion. Where did she go wrong? What did she do to have the family now split into two sides. What will become of the pack now that Chief has been challenged and nonetheless became power hungry?

**Paris, France**

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Aiden asked as he got into his wife's car. Vivian shut her door and buckled up. She handed her husband the keys to the vehicle and nodded.

"I know that our daughter is there. Where else would she go? It's not like she liked it here in Paris." Vivian looked out the window as the green BMW cruised down the street heading out of the city.

I woke the next morning on my bed. I slowly sat up so that the pain was reduced to a minimum. I brushed hair out of my face and looked over at my nightstand; there stood a small vase of red and black roses with a black ribbon tied neatly on the neck of the vase. I cocked my head to the side and was about to see if there was a card attached when there was a knock at my bedroom door.

"Who is it?" I asked as I bustled about my room getting undergarments and sliding into a pair of blue jeans and buttoning Zion's black dress shirt. I had to try and quickly cover up just in case it was Zion. I didn't want him to see me in the buff again.

"It's Astrid." Came my muffled answer. I sighed, with relief washing through my features as I attempted to do something with my hair.

"Come in." I called back as I dropped my hair so that it just hung loose. I gave up on looking somewhat normal. I looked over as Astrid poked her head in the room before smiling slightly as she pushed open the door and walked in. She closed the door behind her and sat down on my bed; I nervously began to nip at my thumb nail. Astrid looked over at the roses next to her and fingered the ribbon.

"What lovely flowers. Zion must have brought them to you before he left this morning." She looked back at me with a now blank face. "Ithica." I looked at her before glancing out the window to see a pigeon fly by. "Why didn't you tell us?" I looked regrettably back at Astrid and looked at my feet. I dropped my hand to my side before I answered her.

"Because I thought you would throw me out. I thought that if I kept it quiet I would be able to have a place to stay." I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. "I thought that if I told you, you wouldn't have understood…like my mother." I glanced up and saw that Astrid sighed as she looked down at her hands. After a couple of seconds past for everything to sink in; Astrid spoke up.

"I do understand." She looked up at me and smiled, I sighed with relief and allowed several tears to show and begin to fall down my cheek. "Oh honey." Astrid opened her hands and I slowly walked over to the bed and collapsed into her arms and cried. "I would never have you thrown out. Never. It's okay." Astrid rubbed my back as she comforted me as I cried. After a short while, I stopped crying and was wiping my tears on Zion's shirt sleeve. "Ithica, is it okay if I ask you a question?" I sniffed and sighed as I nodded to try and clear my head. "Who is your mother?" I stopped what I was doing and looked her in the eye as I contemplated whether or not to tell her.

"I guess you have a right to know…" I nervously laughed as I began to wring my hands. "Umm… her name is Vivian." I watched as Astrid took in the information with a stunned expression. "Hey are you okay? Why did you want to know? Astrid?" she looked over at me with the slightest of panic in her movement.

"Is she a Loup-garoux as well?" she asked as she grabbed my hand.

"Yeah…why?" I asked while she looked out the window with alarm and held my hand while stroking it. "Is something wrong?" She looked at me before gently smiling back at me and patted my hand firmly before she got to her feet.

"No. Nothing is wrong." Then she turned to leave my room and stopped in her tracks. She looked back at me with a troubled expression before walking back to me and stroked my head while looking in my eyes. Then without much warning she wrapped her arms around me and began to cry. I was stunned as I slowly hugged her back while allowing her to cry out her troubles.

Vivian waited in the car as Aiden pumped gas into the vehicle at a gas station in Bucharest, Romania. It had taken several days to finally reach their destination; now the hard part began of their search. Where would their daughter be staying? She knew no one that lived here since she spent her whole life in Paris. She guessed to search all available apartment buildings that were renting and possibly any hotels.

Astrid walked me to work in the morning and hugged me before leaving to go back to the apartment. I sighed as I walked into the back room to help get some chocolates done and was stopped short when I saw there was a gift for me on the counter. I smiled as I picked the small card off of a stem of a rose that was tied with a black ribbon binding it to the rest of the dozen that stood in the clear vase that was carefully set on the counter where I worked on the chocolates. It was from Zion; and had a small poem on it that spoke his affections for me. I began to slightly blush as I set the card back into its place and moved the vase to the side so I could start my work before going on my chocolate run.

Zion stalked throughout the city in search for his brother. He had unfinished business to deal with and he was going to finish it even if it meant him losing his life in the process. There was going to be a hunt in two nights and by then he planned on being the leader of the pack. Chief was getting way out of hand and knew that if he wasn't stopped that Chief might start targeting their mother and pin the pack against itself.

Zion stopped outside of an apartment building and looked up at an open window. He sniffed the air, testing the scent that wafted through the slight breeze. It reeked of Chief. This was where he was living. Zion could smell his brother, knowing that he was there with Charr and their infant son, Bane. Zion looked around before jumping on some crates and climbing his way up to the open window. After steadying himself on the windowsill, Zion looked around the inside of the apartment while trying to verify where his brother's exact location was. Zion lightly jumped into the room and stalked through the apartment till he found Charr cradling Bane in her arms. He grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her around. She gasped at the surprise of her brother-in-law's presence and slight attack.

"Zion…" she breathed out while looking around before looking back him.

"Where is he?" Zion growled out. Charr gave a confused look and tried to find an answer. "Where is my brother." Zion advanced closer to her causing her to slowly back up and eventually back into the wall.

"Zion. Leave her be!" Zion turned around to find Chief standing in the doorway of the room.

"Hiding as usual dear brother?" Zion smirked as he walked away from Charr and stood in front of his elder brother.

"Don't play games with me brother. The one who was always hiding was you! Always denying yourself of who you really were!" Chief raised his voice. "Why are you here?" he growled.

"To end what we had started."Zion glared up at his brother and growled. Suddenly without warning Zion pushed his brother back and held him to the wall. Charr ran to the door and slammed it shut and locked it. Then she began to cower in the far corner on the floor while holding her son against her chest.

Chief pushed Zion away from him and snarled and both brothers began to circle the other. Zion darted forward and slammed his brother into the coffee table that stood in the center of the living room. The table broke into two pieces under the sudden impact. Chief screamed and kicked Zion off which sent Zion flying into the far wall. Zion winced noticeably as pain shot through his wounds that were just starting to show slight signs of healing from the last escapade he and Chief had at the last hunt. Chief got to his feet and walked over to his fallen brother. He bent down and grabbed Zion by the shirt and lifted him to his feet.

"Face it Zion. You have always been the weaker of the two of us." Chief sneered as he held Zion now by the throat. Zion bared his teeth and kicked his brother off of him. Zion then leapt into the air and changed into a wolf. He stood before his brother and growled. Chief rolled out of the way, and climbed up onto his sofa and jumped at his brother as he too transformed into a wolf. Chief landed on top of Zion and grabbed his scruff. He threw his brother onto the floor and tried to get at Zion's throat. Zion swiped at his brother causing the elder wolf to throw his head to the side; Zion took this opportunity and lurched forward and attacked his brother by biting down hard on Chief's throat. Chief screamed and tried to get his brother off of him, but Zion held fast not letting up as he began to draw blood. Chief soon began to slow down and grow weak from both the lack of blood and oxygen. Zion growled while holding his brother's neck in his mouth and watched his sibling slowly slip into death's grasp.

Zion dropped his brother's dead body on the floor and licked his lips. He stared down at the limp carcass before snarling and began to tear into his brother's flesh. He stopped when he heard Charr at the door to the bedroom she was shut in. Zion transformed back into his human form and strode over to the door and tested the door handle. It was locked and he listened to hear Charr scurry away crying. He scowled and broke the door open and stepped inside the room. He saw Charr holding his nephew while trying to climb out of the window. Zion stormed over and grabbed her by the arm and flung the both of them back inside. Charr flew back and landed against the far wall, while Bane landed on the floor five feet away from her. He screamed and cried from the pain of the impact against the hard wood floor. Charr went to crawl to him but was too late. Zion picked up the infant and went to walk back over to the window to end Chief's line. Charr screamed and pounced to her feet and grabbed Zion by the arm. With little effort, Zion threw Charr back and proceeded to approach the window. Charr cried in dismay that she couldn't seem to help defend her son. Zion looked down at the baby boy with a blank expression and held him out of the window. Bane opened his eyes and looked at his blood covered Uncle and whined before crying once more. Zion sighed heavily and brought the child close to him and gently patted the infant on the back. He couldn't seem to bring himself to kill the baby. Deep inside he knew that the child could possibly grow to be a threat to his new rule but figured he would give the child a second chance. If the boy grew up knowing to treat his leader with respect; he would make a good pack leader if or when his time came necessary. Zion turned around and walked back to Charr; he bent down and handed over the child. Charr cradled Bane and looked back at Zion with a new found respect and gratitude; he had spared her child's life even when there was a chance at a threat to his rule in the near future. This showed her that Zion was going to be a very forgiving and compassionate, yet stern leader. She bowed her head revealing her neck in thanks. Zion got to his feet and silently walked out of the room to get dressed. Once clothed, he grabbed his brother's body and left the apartment.

I walked throughout the busy streets of Bucharest carrying several bags of chocolates that needed to be delivered. Today seemed pretty slow in the shop, so the owner sent me out on my deliveries early and had given me a few more stops than normal. I lightly jumped up a small set of stairs and knocked on the door to a small home. A young woman answered the door and gave me a small smile. I handed her a bag of chocolates and watched as her two young children pranced out to see what type of goodies their mother had received. I smiled and walked off of the porch to make my way to my next stop. I paused in front of a flower store and looked in through the front window and saw Zion at the front counter buying a bouquet of two dozen black and red roses. I smiled and snuck away from the store so he wouldn't notice me.

Vivian walked inside the chocolate shop she used to work in and found Astrid standing in front of a glass showcase of chocolates. Astrid turned around thinking it was me, but was shocked speechless only to find her niece standing before her. Both women stood staring at the other for what seemed to be an eternity before Astrid snapped out of her trance and spoke to break the eerie silence that hung in the air.

"Vivian? Is that really you?" Astrid asked as she slowly approached her niece. By the time she got to Vivian, both of them had tears in their eyes.

"Aunt Astrid." Vivian choked out and then all was silenced as they embraced each other in a tight hug. After several minutes, both of them parted and began to talk as they exited the store and headed over to Astrid's apartment accompanied by Aiden.


	6. Chapter 6

I walked back into the chocolate store; I had finished with my chocolate runs and was getting ready for the final preparations before closing up shop for the day. I situated several trays of chocolates and pushed some truffles into their proper places before I heard the front door open and close.

"We are closed!" I called over my shoulder while I tidied up another tray. I heard the person walk about the store and stop behind me. "I said we are closed!" I spun around to find Zion standing behind me with a truffle in his mouth. He smirked and swallowed the last of the treat before greeting me.

"Is that so; I thought that it was open anytime as long as it was me visiting." He smiled and tried to grab another truffle but his hand was swatted at by the owner of the store. She scolded him and bustled over to the front window to shift the chocolate stands about to her liking. "I guess not." He chuckled. I smiled and went back to work while being followed by Zion.

"I am almost done. Then we can get going." I said as I pushed a chocolate candy in the center of the ring of white chocolate truffles.

"I have a gift for you." Zion said as he leaned over me and glanced at me. I looked over at my shoulder and smiled at him. I stepped away and turned to him.

"What is it?" I untied my apron and hung it up and then was greeted by a bouquet of two dozen roses. "Oh! Zion! They are beautiful!" I grabbed the roses from him and smelled them. "Thank you!" I smiled and smelled them once more. "I'll go get the other ones you gave me this morning. I'll be right back!" I smiled and walked into the back room for the other dozen of roses.

"How is your back and arm?" I asked as we exited the chocolate shop and headed back to the apartment.

"Sore, but getting better. How is your neck?" Zion asked as he brushed my hair away to see for himself. I stopped in my tracks and allowed him to inspect the wound.

"Much better I think." I felt Zion poke at the edge of one of the bite marks. I gasped and flinched, the flesh was inflamed showing there was slight infection.

"Sorry. It looks good. I think you will be okay. There is very little swelling." Zion allowed me to put my hair back. And we began to continue our journey back to the apartment.

"So what brings you back here?" Astrid asked while handing both Vivian and Aiden mugs of coffee.

"We are looking for our daughter." Aiden spoke as he looked over at Vivian with some concern.

"You have a daughter? How wonderful! What does she look like?" Astrid asked. Aiden grabbed his wallet and dug out a picture of my school photo. Astrid took it and inspected the photo as both Vivian and Aiden explained what was going on.

"She ran away about a month or so ago and we were wondering if she had found her way here and if you have seen her." Aiden explained while watching Astrid look at the picture.

"Why did she run away? Surely you are good parents." Astrid asked while handing back the photo. "Vivian?" Vivian glanced at her aunt and looked back down at her mug and sighed.

"It was over a fight. You see, she is a Loup-garoux like you and me. And she wanted to go out hunting by herself… and…" Vivian set her mug down on the coffee table and sighed while looking away. "It was my fault. I was too hard on her. I left her in her room and she escaped and took our car." Vivian set her head in her hands and tried to control herself.

"I think we both were to blame." Aiden spoke up. "She was right. I was treating her like she was a beast. I shouldn't have hit her." Aiden mumbled out the last of the sentence. Astrid sat in silence and shock. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, didn't you know she was a Loup-garoux?"

"No. Not until we had the fight." Aiden wiped his mouth with his hand out of nervousness.

Zion opened the door for me and allowed me to go up the stair case first. "Do you think I will be accepted into the pack and be able to go on the hunts with you and your mother?" I asked while ascending the stairs closely followed by Zion. He looked up at me and smiled fondly.

"Maybe. We shall see come the next hunt in a day or so." I smiled back as we reached the top of the stairs and walked into the living room. My head snapped forward and my smile faded away and a frown was replaced. "Mother, who are these people?" Zion said as he stepped forward. I said nothing as both my mother and father sat in front of me on the couch shocked and silent as stones.

"Zion, this is my Niece Vivian and her husband Aiden." Astrid looked at her son hesitantly. Zion stayed silent and stared at the new comers with suspicion. "They're Ithica's parents." Zion's eyes grew wide as he slowly looked over his shoulder at me. I lowered my gaze as he walked over and slowly began to circle me.

Vivian stood up and walked up to me; Zion now stood behind me and looked down at me with his head cocked to the side waiting for an explanation. I glared up at her with nothing short of hatred. "What do you want with me?" I growled.

"I…we want you to come home. Listen, if we could just…"

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"You heard me." I snapped and looked her in the eye.

"Honey…" Aiden stood and walked up to both me and Vivian and went to touch my cheek. I stepped back without taking my eyes off of him. I bumped into Zion; I looked over my shoulder slowly and looked deep into his eyes. I could see nothing but disappointment in his gaze. I looked away ashamed that he had to be here to witness this. I looked back at my parents with an irritated and helpless air. I was being put on the spot in an awkward position and I hated it.

"No…not this time. I cannot forgive you…sorry will not work this time." I stormed out of the living room down the hall and into my room. Before I entered my room I threw my bouquet of roses onto the floor and slammed the door. Everyone was silent and still soaking up what had happened. Zion stood firm and was staring at the floor; his mind was blank of all thought. _How could this happen? Why didn't she tell me? What will happen now?_

Astrid stood up from her seat and touched Vivian on the shoulder and bowed her head before looking back at her niece. "I am sorry for not telling you. She came to me several months ago and she finally admitted that you were her mother just the other day. I wasn't planning on you showing up…." Vivian touched Astrid's hand and walked down the hall and stood outside my door. She raised her hand to knock but hesitated on doing so. She pulled her hand away and walked back out to the living room and grabbed her coat.

"What are you doing?" Aiden asked as he walked up to his wife.

"We are leaving."

"Without Ithica? I thought that is why we came here was to get her."

"Not tonight. She needs time to collect herself. We can wait until then. C'mon." Aiden sighed and grabbed his coat and followed her out the door. Zion silently glanced at his mother and went to leave the room to retire for the night.

"Zion?" he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at his mother. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was family. Otherwise I would have told you…" he looked away and sighed heavily. Astrid lowered her head in shame and guilt. It was heartbreaking to even imagine what her son must be going through.

"It isn't that mother; though it somewhat is a small fraction. But why didn't you tell me sooner that she was the daughter of the man that killed my father and brother?" Zion turned around and faced his mother with yellow eyes.

"What have you done?" Astrid gasped.

"What I had to. For the packs sake. You know of the legends of the twins born in the line of the leaders… neither can keep living while the other breaths the same air and is a part of the same pack. The least suspected twin born of the pure line is the true and rightful leader while the other must be put back to his spot in which life is no longer an option. For the once proud leader will be overthrown by the rightful leader who will forever mate with the female born into the same line of leaders and both shall bring the pack into the age of hope and glory. Both will forever rule unharmed and all shall be prosperous." Astrid put her hand to her mouth in shock and dismay as a tear slid down her cheek. "I will now be the pack leader come the next hunt. Chief's reign has ended." And with that said, Zion walked down the hall and into his room. Leaving Astrid alone in the living room to take in the fact that her elder son was now dead. And by the hands of his younger brother no less.


	7. Chapter 7

**Early The Next Morning**

Zion rose out of bed and stretched; he walked over to his bedroom window and looked out at the brightening sky. He sighed and walked toward his door while grabbing a black button up shirt. He shrugged into it as he stepped out into the hall. He stopped in front of my door and looked at it with some sympathy. He walked up to it and listened; nothing. He pressed his ear to the door and listened, still nothing. He knocked gently on the door. There came no reply. He sniffed the air and could tell I was still in the room. He grabbed the door handle and turned it; it was unlocked and he pushed the door open ever so slightly. He peaked in and saw me lying on my bed holding one of my pillows. He invited himself in and sat at the edge of the bed.

I closed my eyes and allowed a single tear to escape and soak into the pillow. I could tell that my visitor was Zion. I was too afraid to look him in the eye. Last night left me the impression that he had nothing to do with me anymore and that whatever feelings he had for me were all washed away by the happenings between me and everyone else. I flinched when he touched my shoulder gently.

"What caused you and your family to become separated like this?" I remained silent and buried my face into the pillow. Zion leaned forward so that his face was mere inches from mine. "Why won't you answer me?" I turned my head so that my head was lying on the pillow sideways. I remained still, shocked at how close he was to me. His right hand trapped me on the bed so that I couldn't roll away or move anywhere on the bed. I glanced down and saw that his shirt wasn't buttoned. I quickly looked away and slightly blushed. "Well?"

"Because they wouldn't allow me to be what I truly am. I am the only Loup-Garoux that has never tasted the flesh of a human being." I whispered and put my face back into the pillow. I lifted my head once more and glanced back at his piercing gaze, "I thought that you wanted nothing more with me. Don't you wish me to leave?"

"No."

"Huh? But I thought…"

"I was shocked about yesterday yes; but I wasn't about to send you away. The only one who I would want away is your father." I gave a questioning expression and he reluctantly answered. "You see; 20 years ago tomorrow night. My father, Gabriel, the leader of the pack was killed by a human; and that human was your father." He brushed my hair with his left hand while looking deep into my eyes. Then he leaned forward some more and kissed my forehead gently, before rising off of the bed and leaving me lying in my room speechless and confused.

Zion got into his brother's navy blue camaro that now belonged to him and drove off to the warehouse. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Greggor; when the older Loup-Garoux answered, Zion instructed him to gather the other hit men and bring the man who killed his father to the warehouse. With that aside, Zion drove the rest of the remaining trip in silence. He smirked at the thought of finally avenging his father. Both him and his brother suffered their entire lives without knowing who their father was. It killed their mother to pretend everything was okay on special occasions or when the twins watched as the other Loup-Garoux children got to learn things from their father's and they couldn't since their father had been murdered before they were born. Everything was going to be decided tonight.

Astrid sat down at the table with a mug of hot tea; I sat across from her eating a plate of scrambled eggs with a slice of toast. Neither of us dared speak to the other. Astrid cleared her throat before taking another sip of her tea. I grabbed my glass of orange juice and sipped it daintily. I glanced at her nervously; she returned the same glance before quickly looking away. She sighed heavily while rubbing her thumb on the rim of her mug. I watched her silently; I was almost afraid to ask what the matter was. We both jumped when the phone rang. Astrid glanced back at me before rising to get the phone. I swallowed my egg and went back to eating. I could hear Astrid talking on the phone and thought nothing of it until she came back in the kitchen and looked at me with a panicked expression on her face and spoke my name. I looked up at her with a mouthful of egg and toast.

"Your father has gone missing." Astrid spoke softly as she watched my swallow my food in silence. I looked down at my plate in thought in what could have happened. Then I remembered why my parents had arrived in the area and went back to eating. "That's all? That's all you are going to do?" Astrid asked showing her anger.

"Look, it isn't my problem! Okay!" I spat back and slammed my fork down on the table.

"We are talking about your father here!" Astrid leaned on the table and glared into my eyes.

"I don't care! After what him and my mother did to me I don't care anymore!" I yelled and pushed away from the table and stormed out of the kitchen and slammed my bedroom door behind me.

I slipped into the same black dress that I had worn the night Zion took me to the bar on. I tied on my black bandanna on the top of my head once more. I looked in the mirror before sighing heavily. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I hear someone knock on my bedroom door.

"Who is it?" I questioned as I slipped my black earth sandals on.

"It's me. Are you decent for me to enter?" Astrid asked. "I need to talk to you." I walked up to my door and opened it for her. She looked sadly at me before entering my room. I shut the door behind her and watched as she sat on the edge of my bed. She too was clad in a black skin tight dress, ready for the hunt. She held out her arms for me to come over to her. I sat next to her and she held my hands in hers. "I want to apologize for this morning. I don't want you mad at me for something I don't belong in. Will you forgive me?" she had tears pooling up in her eyes as she spoke. I wiped away a stray tear from her cheek and nodded gently.

"I do forgive you. I am sorry for yelling at you." I hugged her as we both wept in each other's arms. Astrid pulled away and wiped her tears away; I did the same as we smiled at the other.

"Here; this is for you. For your first hunt with the pack." Astrid held out a necklace of black beads to me. I bent my head down, allowing her to place it around my neck. "This is a ritual necklace you will wear to the hunts. Every time you kill a human, you place the human's tooth on the necklace like mine." Astrid touched her necklace, showing me that she had several human teeth on it as charms.

"Thank you so much!" I gave Astrid one more hug before admiring my new necklace.

"Excuse me ladies, am I interrupting anything?" Zion knocked on the door while peeking in.

"No. Everything is fine. Is it time to go already?" Astrid got to her feet and walked out of the door.

"You coming?" Zion smirked at me. I smiled and bowed my head before rising.

"Yes. I am coming." I grabbed my trench coat and walked out of my room, and headed out of the door closely followed by Zion. He mounted his motorcycle while Astrid and I got in my car and drove off to the hunting grounds.

Vivian paced back and forth in her hotel room with her cell phone to her ear. She could hear the line she was calling ring but no one was picking up. _"Oh GREAT! Astrid and the others went to the hunt didn't they?"_ Vivian thought while hanging up and throwing the cell phone on the table. She bit her lower lip in thought while pacing in a small circle on where her husband could possibly be. Suddenly the memory of Zion's expression when they had first met earlier the other day came into mind.

"Oh god." She bowed her head before looking up at the ceiling and shaking her head when looking outside her window at the full moon. She then grabbed her car keys and stormed out of the building, heading for the hunting grounds. Deep inside she was hoping that her assumption was wrong as she sped off.

Music played as Astrid and I exited her car and walked through the stone archway to see the entire pack bustling about. I licked my lips nervously as I followed Astrid down the stone stairs and stop next to a bolder off to the side. There she spoke to me about joining the pack and told me about the members. I watched them all; I watched the children laugh as they danced and chased their friends around, the teenagers laugh as they talked and some prancing about showing off, the elders talking about the past hunts, the young parents instructing their young to do as their told. I soaked it all in; what each member was to the pack. How precious they all were in their own way. I smiled at the thought of finally being one of them, someone who was needed and appreciated. Someone that could be looked up to for help and guidance. Suddenly all was silent when Zion came into view followed by Charr. All eyes were on him as he stood before them with a grim expression as looked deeply into everyone's eyes, as if reading their souls.

"My Lords and Ladies, I give you distressing news about your leader, Chief." Everyone shifted nervously as they kept their gaze on Zion, hanging onto his every word. "My brother is dead." There was a slight murmur in the crowd after hearing of their loss. "He was murdered. He came from a very proud line of leaders, and yet his good intentions were corrupted by the knowledge of great power and knowing that we both share the pain and loss of our sire." Zion looked at his mother as if searching for something hidden. "But tonight all our suffering shall come to an end. I will now gladly take the place of my brother and father before me and become leader of the pack." Charr walked up to Zion and replaced his necklace with his brother's and father before them. He looked down at the necklace before nodding Charr away. She backed away and bowed low before him. Everyone else bowed before him, including me. He bowed back and looked back out at the crowd with his head held high as he took in a deep breath. "We gather tonight as our ancestors did for all time. The first night of the full moon when we gather as one – for we are one. And we hunt as one." He looked at me with an animalistic yearning in his eyes before he went back to his speech. "We have survived for 5,000 years by hiding who we are. We have been chased from everywhere, England, France, America, but not here. Never here." He looked over his shoulder signaling his hit men to come out with three men in tow. One in question was my father, Aiden. I looked over at Astrid with a surprised look in my eyes. She too mirrored my expression and shook her head slightly, telling me that she too had no idea what was going on. Both of our heads snapped forward looking at Zion as he spoke up once more. "These things before you is called men. But I call it menace. The race of man is corrupt at its core. The only thing it is good at is destruction! And so, once in a while, we must make an example to show this menace that we may be outnumbered, but we will never be outhunted." Zion looked as the hit men threw all three men onto the floor. I kept my eyes on my father; my mind kept racing on what to do. Should I hunt him? Should I save him? Everything was so confusing to me. I didn't know if I had forgiven him or not. "So on this night, let nature grace us to return to who we truly are in the wild where we once lived." Zion slid out of his trench coat, and everyone followed his lead in removing what clothes were necessary. Then without a single word spoken, Zion leapt down from his perch and unsheathed the knife his father and brother used and cut all of the men's arms. Their screams caught my untamed attention, their blood smelled sweet, like chocolate. I soon forgot my troubles with my father and shifted anxiously, ready for attack. Zion then removed their blindfolds and cut them lose. "There is a river within these woods; if you reach the other side you win your life. If not, the Loup-garoux has the victory of taking your lives." Zion smirked and allowed the pack to close in around the men to herd them into the forest.

Vivian parked her car and raced out of it not bothering to lock the doors as she ran to the ritual hunting area. She could smell blood, it was fresh but faint. This could only mean one of two things; that they either started the hunt, or that the hunt was over and she was too late. She was hoping that the first choice was the right one. She prayed with all her might that she was in time.

I raced in the forest with the rest of the pack. I needed to sate my hunger for human flesh. I followed the tantalizing scent of blood, leading deeper into the forest. Zion ran ahead of us, ready to lead in taking down our first victim. After running a little longer, I catapulted myself into the air off of a rock and stretched out. I transformed into my white wolf form and landed on my feet and took off running once more. Charr ran beside me and we had to try and run into each other as we ran as fast as our bodies let us. My ears perked up when the first of the screams pierced through the night air; signaling that the first human was being attacked. I picked up the pace and ran past the first group of wolves that were devouring the human alive. Suddenly a second human screamed as he was being attacked by the other half of the pack. I still continued running past them and headed for my father that was being pursued by Zion.

Vivian transformed into a white wolf and headed deeper into the forest, following nothing but the scent of her husband's spilled blood. She had to hurry or it would be too late. She feared for the worst as she strained her body to its limit.

Zion leapt into the air and tackled Aiden to the ground. Zion bit at his hands and arms trying to get at Aiden's neck. I caught up to the scene and pushed Zion off of my father. I stood over him and watched as Zion got back onto his feet and growled. I growled back showing that I wasn't afraid in standing up to him. Zion stalked forward and licked his lips as he pulled them back revealing his teeth. I lowered my head and growled while refusing to show my teeth. I was ready to stand my ground and fight if need be. But I didn't want to.

Aiden laid still while trying to keep his breathing under control thinking he was safe being guarded by his wife that stood over him. But he was proved wrong when a slightly larger white wolf appeared on the scene.

I got tackled off of my father by an unknown force. I landed on my side and looked up to see Zion walk over to me and sniff my face, asking if I was okay. I sniffed his muzzle letting him know I was alright and wasn't hurt. I got to my feet and looked over to where my father was lying to see a larger white wolf standing in front of him with her back hunched and bearing her teeth. Zion stood in front of me and barked at the stranger. He had forgiven me and was now trying to ward off the intruder. This wolf was not a part of the pack; I trotted around the threatening scene to reach my father to try and usher him to safety. Suddenly I was flipped over the other wolf's head, from a very forceful head butt and ended up landing on my back. I squirmed back onto my feet and growled menacingly at the stranger who attacked me for no reason. Suddenly the strange wolf charged and I reared onto my hind feet and we both collided. I snapped at her face trying to get her away from me. She scratched at my sides and tried to get at my scruff. I pushed her away and slammed her off of her feet. This wolf smelled familiar. It hit me like a ton of bricks; it made all too much sense; it was my mother. I lifted my head, showing that I wasn't about to fight anymore and knew who she was. She cocked her head to the side and stalked over to me, while keeping a close eye on Zion who now walked to my side.

Vivian stood before me, towering a head higher than me and looked down into my eyes. I lowered my ears and whined. She sniffed my muzzle and nuzzled the top of my head as she whined back. Zion sat next to me and watched the whole touching scene play out. Aiden sat up and watched in amazement as the two white wolves slowly transformed into humans. Vivian hugged me tightly while we both cried in each other's arms.

"I'm so sorry mom." I mumbled out around my tears.

"I'm sorry too sweetie." She cried out as she stroked my hair. Aiden quickly shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over his wife and daughter. Zion sat silently watching the family bonding together once more. His ears perked up when he heard the sound of a member of the pack heading in our direction. He stood up and walked toward the sound, he sniffed the air and sneezed before testing the growing scent of the member as they approached. He wagged his tail slightly as his mother appeared out of the brush. Astrid looked past her son and wagged her tail when she saw both Vivian and I hugging. Pretty shortly we heard the rest of the pack howling, signaling that the hunt was officially over. Zion looked over at me and sighed and trotted slowly away. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Zion disappear in the shadows. I sighed while still in my mother's arms and closed my eyes, allowing a single tear slid down my cheek for Zion.

Zion walked through the forest in search for his clothes. He was alone and seemed to be in a melancholy mood. It had been a rough day, and quite an interesting hunt despite the fact that he didn't get to feast on any human flesh. He knew that I would have eventually defended my father; he had planned it that way. Now that his plan had worked, there was nothing to do. The pack now expected him to find a wife; but he didn't want anyone in the pack. He wanted me. Knowing the fact that was going back to Paris broke his heart. He wouldn't leave the pack; but losing me hurt worse than anything he had been put through. He figured that I wanted to be with my family, and if that made me happy; then he would be happy for me.

"ZION! WAIT!" he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder and was shocked speechless as I trotted up to him in my father's shirt. I was closely followed by my parents and Astrid. My mother was clad in my father's jacket and Astrid had found her clothing. I grabbed his arm, still standing behind him. I looked into his eyes, desperately searching on how he felt. "I-I-" tears welled up in my eyes and I hugged his arm while crying silently. He looked down at me with a heavy heart and took me in his arms. I cried against his chest as he held me gently. He looked up at my parents, seeing them standing next to each other gently smiling at what they saw. He then looked to his mother and saw her wearing a wide smile while wiping a tear from her eye. He then looked down at me and gently laid his head on mine and comforted me as I cried the rest of my confusion.

I sat on my bed with my coat resting in my arms. I was returning to Paris with my parents. It was best for me to leave Bucharest; I was no longer needed it seemed. Since the hunt, Zion had made himself scarce and Astrid was trying her hardest to distance herself from me so that when I left it didn't hurt so badly. I looked down at my hands and bit my lower lip; I was trying to feel happy about being with my parents. But I couldn't help but feel heartache about leaving the city since I had gotten attached to the city and the people in it, especially Zion.

"Are you ready to go?" Vivian popped her head in my room. I looked up at her and smiled softly while nodding. I sniffed and tucked a hair behind my ear before rising to my feet. "Everything is packed in the car." Vivian wrapped her arm around my shoulders as we walked down the hall. I nodded and paused when I felt watched. I looked to my right, and inside the living room stood Zion leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at his chest. His eyes seemed to have pierced my soul as he stared right into my eyes. My mother pulled at my arms and lead me down the stair case that lead outside where my father was waiting at their car. Zion bowed his head after seeing me disappear out of sight in the building.

"Oh, honey! We're going to miss you!" Astrid walked up to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back and cried several tears knowing that I would never see her again.

"I'm going to miss you too, Astrid." I choked out. I sighed as I tried to make the hug last longer. We pulled away and I went to get into my parents' car but was stopped by Astrid.

"What about your car, dear?" she asked with a worried look.

"You can keep it as a gift to remember me by." I smiled over my shoulder before getting into the vehicle. With one last look at the place, the car sped off back to Paris; never to be seen again.

Astrid covered her mouth and tried her hardest not to cry; but it was inevitable. She bowed her head and slowly walked back inside the apartment building while trying to control her tears. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, she was tired from the struggle of fighting away the rest of her sorrow; that she burst out into huge fits of crying. She stumbled her way into her room and shut the door behind her and cried out her sadness on her bed.

Zion remained standing alone in the living room. He opened his eyes and allowed a single solitary tear to fall from his eye. It fell silently onto the wood floor; Zion pushed away from the wall and swallowed his feelings before storming into his room for the rest of the day.

**One Month Later**

Astrid stood next to the kitchen counter in her robe drinking a mug of coffee. Her thoughts were pushed aside when Zion stalked into the room looking like he didn't have a wink of sleep and that he had gotten into a wrestling match with a bear. He looked around the kitchen as if he was searching for something.

"Would you like me to get you something, sweet heart?" Astrid asked trying to sound somewhat cheerful. Zion stopped next to the kitchen table and looked down at it. He grimaced and flipped it over with a single hand before storming out of the room and building. He climbed into the camaro and sped off to the bar. Astrid sipped on her coffee quietly and shook her head sadly. "You're just like your father. I hope you know that. I know you miss her." She spoke out loud to herself, before finishing the last of her coffee before calling a repair man for the table.

Zion sat at the counter of the bar, huddled over a shot glass of Absinthe. He had been drinking a hefty amount of it. He knew full well that if he drank too much of it, it could kill him. He was attempting to drown out the music and the memory of me. The singer was singing the same song that he dance with me the night he found out that Charr was carrying Chief's child; 'Let yourself go wild'.

"Maybe you should slow it down a little on the drinks." Drago the bartender suggested as he grabbed several empty Absinthe glasses off of the counter to be washed. Zion glared at him tiredly and shrugged before downing his fourth glass.

"I'm just at a loss in what to think or do anymore." Zion sighed as he slid the glass away for Drago to snatch before it could slide right off of the counter.

"Why not go out on the dance floor and see who could catch your fancy. You know that always worked before." Drago leaned on the counter and cocked his head out to the dance floor behind the pack leader.

"I can't do that anymore. No one catches my attention anymore. They all are the same to me." Zion laid his head on the counter and sighed heavily.

"What are you sick or something? What is so different about you, that you no longer want to go girl chasing anymore?" Drago lowered his head and looked into Zion's eyes. Zion looked away sadly and buried his head in his arms. "You already found someone and she left you is that it?" Zion's head shot up and he stared darkly at the bartender; warning him to not venture further on the subject. Drago straightened up and shrugged as he poured Zion one last glass of Absinthe. Zion took it willingly and downed it in a second.

"She didn't leave me. I let her go." Zion sighed and slid the glass away.

"What do you mean by letting her go?"

"She wasn't one of the pack. She was one of us true enough but wasn't accepted into the pack yet. I let her go back to where she came from with her family." Zion crossed his arms and looked down at them while reclining in his stool. "Man why did I let her go!" Zion slammed his head down on the counter top and let it stay there. Drago sighed and shook his head and reached over and patted the young leader on the back.

"There there. I'm sure she misses you too…." Drago comforted before going back to his duties of cleaning off the counter and serving others Absinthe or whatever they wished. Zion rolled his head so that he was having the side of his face resting on the smooth counter top. One last heavy sigh escaped him, before he eventually rose and decided to leave the bar and go back to the apartment.

I sulked in my bedroom. I was back in Paris and didn't seem to feel happy of being back home with my parents. They seemed happy to have me back, but I seemed to feel incomplete; like something was missing. I hugged my pillow and buried my face into it and sighed heavily into it. I didn't flinch when there was a sudden knock on my bedroom door. I picked my head up slightly to respond.

"Come in." I muttered and slammed my head back down into the pillow as the door swung open revealing both of my parents. They walked into my room and stopped in front of my bed. Vivian inched to the side of the bed and sat down next to me with a worried expression. She touched the top of my head, I refused to move my head as she began to stroke my hair gently.

"Ithica? Is everything alright? Do you need to talk to us about something?" Vivian asked gently. I moved my head so that I was looking at her in the eye.

"No. I'm fine." I then stuffed my face back into pillow.

"Why are you doing that?" Aiden asked as he leaned on the foot of my bed. I muffled my reply into the pillow. "What was that again?" I raised my head and took a deep breath.

"I am trying to suffocate myself. But you keep interrupting me." I spat back and shoved my head back into the pillow once more.

"Oh! Come on honey, things aren't that bad here. What is wrong?" Vivian took away my pillow and had me sit up. I sighed and fixed my hair.

"I miss Romania. Ok; there I said it." I crossed my arms and waited for a reply.

"Don't you like it here?" Aiden asked as he seated himself at the end of the bed. I looked down at my lap and tried to fight some tears that threatened to surface.

"Yeah I guess, but I miss him. I miss him, so much." I choked out and allowed my mother to hug me close to her. After a while of crying, I fell fast asleep in my mother's arms. Vivian allowed Aiden to take me from her and resituate me properly on my bed. They then left my room and began to talk about what to do. Eventually they ended up in agreeing to allow me to go back to Romania if I wished.

I woke to the sound of birds flapping their wings against the glass of my window. I raised my head inches from my pillow and looked at my window to see the birds panic and fly away. I rubbed my eyes and looked around my room to see that I was completely alone. I sat up and stretched my arms over my head. I fixed my hair and slid off of my bed. I fixed my clothes and trudged out of my room and headed down stairs, heading into the kitchen. I paused before entering when I heard my parents talking to each other about something. I then walked into the kitchen and saw them sitting at the table, both with a mug of coffee in their hands.

"Hey." I yawned and watched as they looked at me with grim expressions. "Is something wrong?" I asked now fully awake with a twinge of fear creeping throughout my body.

"Honey, we have to talk to you about something. Something important." Vivian spoke up and couldn't seem to keep direct eye contact with me. I slowly walked over to the table and seated myself across from them where I always sat when we had any meals together as a family.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked as I glance nervously at my father who looked down at his mug. He sighed heavily before speaking.

"Ithica, your mother and I have done some talking and some soul searching and we couldn't think of anything that could help you…" he looked at me with a sad expression, I shifted nervously in my seat waiting to hear what was coming next. "The only thing that we could come up with is that if you wish, you could go back to Bucharest." My father looked at me waiting to see what my reaction was. I sat still in my chair, speechless on the subject; I couldn't move I was so stunned. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up to the ceiling before looking back at me once more. "So, what do you think?" I looked at my mother wondering if this was a joke or a test on what I should do. But to my surprise she looked down at her hands and glanced up at me and nodded toward my father, encouraging me to answer. I looked back at my father with a shocked and clueless expression.

"Are you serious? Or is this some kind of joke or something?" I exasperated and looked around for an answer. I had finally found my voice, despite the fact it was slightly shaky.

"We're serious, honey. We thought it all through and if it makes you happy to go back to Bucharest. Then we will be more than happy to let you go." My mother smiled.

"Really?" I smiled slightly. They both nodded in agreement.

"And hey, we'll come by every so often to visit you so you don't go missing us. How does that sound?" my dad piped up and set his mug down. I smiled and got to my feet and walked over to them and hugged them tightly, and began to cry several tears.

"Thank you so much!" I sobbed and pulled away. "Well, I better go get packing." I chuckled slightly and jogged back up to my room. Aiden and Vivian smiled and looked at each other with a sigh of relief.

"You think we are doing the right thing?" Vivian asked looking back over her shoulder.

"I have no idea." Aiden answered and stretched in his chair. "But I am going to miss her."

"I am going to miss her too." Vivian smiled and wiped away a single tear before rising to take away the mug to the sink.

I was slightly tired from the trip back to Bucharest; I had taken a train the whole way and was now stuck in a cab. I was on my way back to Astrid's apartment. I glanced out of the window and watched the surroundings become more familiar. I smiled as I passed a huge statue of an angel spreading its wings. And soon I passed a building that had statues of wolves as décor; I couldn't help but feel relieved about returning back to where I felt I belonged the most. I lost all track of time, and within a short time the cab came to a screeching halt in front of a very familiar apartment building. I opened my door and stepped out and waited for the cabdriver to unpack my things from the trunk and receive the fare for driving me. Once everything was in order, the cab sped off leaving me alone. I picked up my bags and walked inside the building and headed up the stairs.

"Hello?" I called out as I reached the top, "Anyone home?" I called out once more. Suddenly Astrid poked her head out of the kitchen and peeked around the corner to see me standing in the hall. I turned around and saw Astrid standing at the end of the hall just outside of the kitchen. I smiled and dropped my bags. "I'm back." I smiled breathlessly, while taking in Astrid's shocked expression.

"Oh….god…honey!" Astrid sighed out and jogged over to me. We embraced and cried out of joy. "Oh…how we missed you!" Astrid cried into my hair. I clung to her almost afraid to let her go out of slight fear that she would disappear. "I am so happy to see you." She wept on and stroked my hair gently.

"I missed you so much! I had to come back!" I gasped and tried to control my tears and breathing. We eventually pulled away from the hug, both wiping tears away and fixing our hair. "Where is Zion?" I asked and looked around to see that we were alone. Astrid helped me with my bags and walked with me to my room.

"He is getting things prepared for another hunt. He is I believe at the distillery, but I can't say for sure." Astrid walked into my room closely followed by me. I stopped next to the closest window and dropped my bags. Astrid set the other bags on my bed and spun on her heels to face me once more. "Now that you are one of the pack; you will be attending. Since he won't show for the rest of the day, you have plenty of time to get things organized and get ready for tonight." Astrid then left me alone in the room to unpack my belongings and get cleaned up for the hunt.

It was nightfall and I walked silently out of my room and stopped in the living room where Astrid sat on the couch. She looked up at me and smiled gently and asked me to spin around for her. I did what I was told and watched her gaze at me like a proud mother seeing her daughter going off on her first date or the prom.

"You look beautiful." Astrid smiled as she rose to her feet. "Let's get going before we are late." She drove us in my car, the whole way we talked about how my parents gave into allowing me to stay here in Bucharest, while they stayed in Paris. We finally arrived at the hunting grounds and parked the car. After climbing out, we walked down into the small clearing just outside of the forest. The music played as children giggled and teased the older teens. I watched them with a full heart knowing I was finally where I belonged; with them.

"In fear I hurried this way and that. I had the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, the one as hateful as the other. Remember this; Steppenwolf. Astrid smiled when I looked at her before nodding. "I told that to your mother years ago on a night like this one before a hunt. It was before she left with your father and lived out in Paris." Astrid was cut off by the sound of Zion approaching the area. The music halted and the crowd's conversations murmured down as they beheld their leader. They all bowed down, I bowed next to Astrid and we all waited for Zion to respond. He bowed and stood watching us all rise and gaze up at him with anticipation. He looked out into the crowd and sighed before starting his speech.

"My Lords and Ladies, tonight we gather together on the night of the full moon to hunt. I am also aware that as leader I am to choose a wife to have for seven years…" Zion stopped talking when his gaze landed hear his mother. She smiled happily and moved to the side to reveal me standing, watching him with a smile. He seemed frozen on the spot and at a loss for words. Zion leaped off of the bolder he was standing on and walked up to me. I looked up into his eyes as he did the same to me. "How is this possible…" he whispered.

"I'm here to stay." I swallowed hard trying to not get too emotional. I was suddenly pulled into his arms and was stunned speechless when he kissed me. The pack members whispered and looked about one and other in shock and awe at what they were witnessing. Zion broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine and smiled. I breathed out a giggle and smiled back. "I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too." Zion then looked out at the pack and wrapped one arm about my waist. "I have chosen my wife!" he announced. The pack applauded and cheered in approval. "Further more; I abolish the law of having a wife for seven years and now establish the law of the leader of the pack having one wife, and keeping her for life!" Zion spoke out to the pack; they cheered even louder in agreement. Astrid was so happy that she was failing the losing battle of fighting away more tears. Zion lead me back to the top of the boulder and went on with his speech. After the victims were brought out, he allowed the pack to lead the hunt. Within a short time, we all were running through the forest after our prey. This hunt was special compared to all the others; we were hunting as one, and being free. We all turned into our wolf forms and sped through the dark forest.

Once the hunt was over, the night was filled with our soulful chorus that was filled with the sense of hope for the future of the pack. And thus beginning a new chapter in mine and Zion's lives. I nuzzled the side of his neck with my head sighed as we stood among the pack. We were all truly one and all had the same goal in our bright future to come. Zion stood proud and licked the top of my head and wagged his tail slightly as he did so. There was no going back now; both Zion and I now had great responsibilities to fulfill and expectations to live up to. And as leaders of the pack, we vowed to see it done. We all stood together one last time and howled into the night one last time; before the dawn of a new day.

**The end**


	8. Chapter 8

This is to all the readers and people who commented. Thank you so much for your support on this story; without it I probably wouldn't have finished it and would have put it on the back burner until years later. So thank you again and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and hope you read my other stories to come. I am so inspired by this story I am thinking on a sequel later on this year!

Frozen – Within temptation

I can't feel my senses  
I just feel the cold  
All colours seem to fade away  
I can't reach my soul

I would stop running  
If I knew there was a chance  
It tears me apart to sacrifice it all  
But I'm forced to let go

Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you

When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen  
But what can I do?

I can feel your sorrow  
(I sacrifice)  
You won't forgive me

But I know you'll be alright

It tears me apart that you will never know  
But I have to let go

Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you

When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen  
But what can I do?

Everything will slip away  
Shattered pieces will remain  
When memories fade into emptiness  
Only time will tell its tale  
If it all has been in vain

I can't feel my senses  
I just feel the cold

Frozen  
But what can I do?  
Frozen

Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you

When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen

Frozen

** The Howling** – by Within temptation  
We've been seeing what you want,  
You've got us cornered right now  
Falling asleep from our vanity  
May cost us our lives

I hear them getting closer  
Their howls are sending chills down my spine  
Time is running out now,  
They're coming down the hills from behind

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the night that we've created  
I wanna be awakened somehow  
(I wanna be awakened right now)

When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing

We've been searching on and on  
But there's no trace to be found  
It's like they all have just vanished  
But I know they're around

I feel them getting closer  
The howls are sending chills down my spine  
Time is running out now  
They're coming down the hills from behind

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the night that we've created  
I wanna be awakened somehow  
(I wanna be awakened right now)

When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing  
When we start killing!

I feel them getting closer  
The howls are sending chills down my spine  
Time is running out now  
They're coming down the hills from behind

The sun is rising  
The screams have gone  
Too many have fallen  
Few still stand tall  
Is this the ending  
Of what we've begun?  
Will we remember  
What we've done wrong?

When we start killing  
It's all coming down right now  
From the night that we've created  
I wanna be awakened somehow  
(I wanna be awakened right now)

When we start killing  
It all will be falling down  
From the hell that we're in  
All we are is fading away  
When we start killing  
When we start killing!


End file.
